


Wanderlust

by astudyinfic



Series: Answering the Call [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Excessive amounts of fluff, F/F, F/M, M/M, Malec under the sea, Merman Magnus Bane, Warlock Magnus Bane, merman alec lightwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-04-14 18:23:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14141862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: Adjusting to life under the sea went better than Magnus expected.  With no privacy when surrounded by Alec's family, the couple decide to explore the ocean - and each other - while Magnus adjusts to life under the sea.





	1. Home, Watery Home

It was the burning that caught Magnus off guard. Not in his legs as they fused together and became his tail.  The tingling reminded him of when you lost circulation in your limbs, more pins, and needles than burning. Not pleasant but not painful either.  

No, the burning was in his lungs and while he glared at Alec, coughing up the water he’d inhaled, Alec laughed.  “You’re supposed to use the gills!” he giggled while Magnus rubbed at his chest, hoping to lessen the pain even a little.  Gills had never been part of the conversation. They’d talked about the tail but Magnus assumed breathing would be like in the air.  

He’d assumed wrong and his lungs told him so, aching as he wretched the last of the saltwater from them.  Keeping his lips firmly sealed, Magnus dragged his fingertips lightly across his neck, eyes widening as he felt the flaps of skin that definitely had not been there before he followed Alec into the waves.

It took some concentration, but eventually, the water flowed in over the sensitive organs and Magnus’ lungs stopped hurting.  Alec, for his part, smiled apologetically but the humor in his eyes never went away. “I thought you knew you couldn’t breathe like that underwater.  You’ve been alive for how long and you didn’t realize that?”

As he relaxed and became a little more comfortable with that style of breathing, Magnus shrugged.  “It’s not like you had any gills when we sat there talking all day. And you never mentioned it.” While he tried to keep the accusations out of his tone, it was clear that he wasn’t happy being laughed at, even if it was his beautiful mate who he loved.  

“Gills don’t work in air, lungs don’t work in water.  Basic biology or so my sister says. She likes to study things like that.  I’m pretty sure she’s cut things open just to see what they look like.” He wrinkled his nose and just like that, Magnus forgave him.  Because how could he be mad at someone as cute as his Alexander?

And Alec had a point.  If Magnus stopped to think about it, he would have realized that it wasn’t going to work.  But in his excitement to go with Alec, he hadn’t even slowed down to consider anything other than his tail and being with his love.

Speaking of, the latter was currently staring at the former and if Magnus understood current vernacular, he was looking thirsty.  “Like what you see, Alexander?” Where Alec’s tail was more muted (but beautiful) with browns and greens and golds, Magnus’ was as bright as his personality.  The scales practically glittered in blues, purples, and even the occasional pink. Contrasted with his tan skin, Magnus was pretty sure he knew Alec’s answer.

“How?  Wha...?  You’re...”  Alec’s stutters did amazing things for Magnus’ ego and he stood (Swam?  Floated? He’d need to get used to the terminology), waiting for him to form a complete thought, his brow raised in challenge.  “Fuck.”

Articulate enough, Magnus figured, particularly when Alec pulled him into his arms and kissed him, their bodies pressed tight together.  He marveled at how warm Alec still was, despite being in the slightly cool water, and how perfect they felt next to one another, particularly without their legs to get in the way.

When he thought about breathing, Magnus realized it was difficult to remember not to use his mouth.  But, with said mouth otherwise occupied, suddenly it was much easier to breathe the way Alec told him too.  Gills meant that they didn’t have to break apart, that they could kiss, touch, hug, for as long as they wished.  Eventually, Alec did pull back, looking for all the world like he wanted nothing more than to pull Magnus into his arms and never let him leave.

Magnus wouldn’t put up any fight if he did.

Instead, Alec smiled sheepishly, “We should probably go.  My mother is expecting us and you really don’t want my brother and sister coming out here and finding us like that.  We would never hear the end of it.” The blush that colored Alec’s cheeks spread down his neck and collarbones. Magnus hoped soon he would be able to follow the trail of that blush with lips and tongue.  But their passionate kisses appeared to be Alec’s most intimate experience. So, that might have to wait until his soulmate felt more comfortable with the idea of physical love. And Magnus would gladly wait for as long as he needed.  

“I am looking forward to seeing them, and your home, and everything.  Will it take long to get there?” When they first met, Alec told him that he could get to his home and back to the island where Magnus stayed on his self-imposed exile in one night worth of swimming, with enough time to at least have a conversation with his family while he was there.  But, Magnus was also coming to realize that swimming with a tail was different that swimming with two legs. He’d been a proficient swimmer before but now felt as if he flailed without actually getting anywhere.

A strong stroke with Alec’s tail and his mate took off, probably expecting Magnus to follow.  He tried several times, but getting muscles to work when you’d never had them before was a challenge.  Alec turned back and offered his hands to Magnus. “Just look at me and try to move to me. Don’t think about what you are doing.  When you get here, you can kiss me.” He let go of Magnus’ hands, moving a few feet away though it felt as if it were miles.

Closing his eyes, Magnus cleared his mind.  It didn’t matter if he wasn’t perfect immediately, he told himself.  It wasn’t impossible. Impossible only meant try again. And he would.  Particularly if it meant kissing those gorgeous pink lips. He opened his eyes to gaze upon his lover and knew that he could do this.  Focusing on Alec with a laser-like intensity, Magnus thought about how much he wanted to be next to him, how right everything felt when he was in his arms.  He tried not to think about the tail, or swimming, or even breathing. If he focused on Alec, everything would be okay.

“You did it,” Alec smiled at him, right there in front of him.  Stealing a quick kiss in case Alec had moved closer to him and was about to dart away again a moment later, Magnus looked around to see he really did do it on his own.  How he didn’t know, but now that he knew he _could_ do it, he would be fine.  “I’m proud of you. Think you could do it again?”

Letting out a small sigh (and scaring himself when the air bubbled up in front of his face) Magnus nodded.  “Yeah, I can do this.” His whole body ached with the thought of how far they had to swim to get to Alec’s home - _their_ home - but he wanted to do it for Alec and for himself.  “Swim next to me this time? Tell me about everything and keep me distracted?”

Slowly but surely, the two of them moved forward.  Magnus tried to set a good pace but the feeling that he was a toddler taking his first steps never really left him and he knew he was going far slower than Alec would go on his own.  But Alec never complained, talking about what they were seeing, funny stories from times growing up with his siblings, and complaints about the mates his siblings found. Even the complaining was laced with that fondness Magnus fell in love with back on the island.  Alec’s heart was bigger than anyone Magnus knew and he was happy to have found a place for himself inside of it.

While it took several hours, hearing Alec’s voice helped keep Magnus going, knowing they could rest when they finally got there.  He paused when Alec came to a stop, his grin nearly blinding. “There,” Alec pointed. “Just over that rise is home.” He took Magnus’ hand, practically dragging him through the water in his excitement to get to see his family once more and to introduce them to Magnus.  “Mom! Jace! Izzy!” he called when they crested the small hill and looked down into the opening that appeared to be a sort of camp.

As Alec darted down to find his family, Magnus stayed towards the top, taking it all in.  The rise was actually a small underwater mountain, caved in at the top, though whether it was natural or from the work of Alec’s family, he wasn’t sure.  Around the protected space, caves dotted the walls and out of them, a few other merfolk emerged. Magnus smiled to himself, watching a blonde merman with scales like golden sand come up and hug Alec, patting him on the back, while a pup, probably no more than ten, wrapped his arms around Alec’s waist.  A couple other merfolk hung back, one with bright red hair that almost matched her coppery scales, and another male, with dark hair and a beaming smile. Another couple embraced Alec, looking a little older, so Magnus assumed that must be Maryse and Luke, thankful Alec had given him a crash course in the family so he could at least place names with the faces before he was bombarded by the interaction.  

He counted the pod in front of him.  The little one, obviously Max. The two elders, Maryse and Luke.  The blond, Jace. By process of elimination meant that the other male was Simon, the other Brooklynite who talked too much.  And the redhead was obviously Clary. Which still left one member of the family unaccounted for. The way Alec spoke of his sister, Magnus assumed Izzy would be the first one out to greet him so he was surprised she was missing.  Maybe she was looking for food or doing one of her experiments, or any other number of things.

Something solid hit Magnus on his side and sent them both tumbling through the water.  Thankful for the buoyancy that kept them from hitting the ground, Magnus righted himself as best he could before turning to face his attacker.  Her long brown hair was almost the same shade as Maryse’s and her tail was the same deep red. Warm eyes sparkled with amusement and perfect lips turned up in a grin that reminded Magnus of his dear Alexander.  “You must be Isabelle. Alexander has told me so much about you.”

“Alexander?” she laughed, taking his hand and dragging him towards the rest of the pod.  Magnus didn’t miss the look of fear that crossed Alec’s face before he saw who was with him.  Then the fear morphed into something more as if worried about what the two of them would tell one another.  “You do know that he doesn’t let anyone call him that. If he is okay with it from you, he must really love you.”

“I would hope so.  I gave up my legs for him,” Magnus grinned.  He remembered Alec trying to introduce himself, insisting that most people call him Alec.  But when Magnus continued to call him Alexander - because someone as gorgeous as he was deserved a name with equal beauty - Alec never once complained.  “He did tell me that people called him Alec but that was the last he ever said about it, so I assume I am okay to continue to use it.” Having seen the way Alec’s eyes dilated when he heard his name fall from Magnus’ lips, he knew that Alec was more than okay with it.

“So you love him.”  It wasn’t a question and Magnus felt dissected under her gaze, reminding him of Alec’s story about his sister cutting things open to see how they worked.  “You’re good for him. Before he met you, he was closed off and angry. All he ever wanted to do was keep all of us safe, but even after Luke got here, he couldn’t let it go.  He cares too much about everyone and not enough about himself and we worried he would never find someone who loved him like he deserves.” His heart broke for Alec, thinking about the beautiful man, how alone he must have felt, even in a pod full of his family.  With all but the youngest paired off, it must have been an isolating experience. “When the current dragged him off, we panicked, having never seen anything like it. I tracked him as far as Fiji but after that, all we could do was return home to wait. And when he came back, all coy smiles and soft laughter, we knew something amazing must have happened.  You.”

Magnus thought about the moment he met Alec when the beautiful man threatened to kill him for nothing more than looking at his scales.  And now, looking at the way Alec smiled, free and happy, Magnus understood what Izzy was talking about, even if he only had a couple days experience with Alec instead of a whole lifetime.  They’d get there because Magnus never intended to be apart from him again if either of them could help it. He nodded, “I do love him. And he’s good for me too.”

“Izzy, leave him alone,” Alec complained, sidling up to Magnus and wrapping his arm around his waist.  “He needs to meet everyone, not just you.” Izzy made a face at him before swimming over to talk to Clary on the far side of the clearing, the two obviously engaged in a lively conversation, in which Magnus knew he played a key role.  Most likely he would be having many more conversations with them in the near future, both about his relationship with Alec and possibly his time on land. So far, Alec remained cryptic about how much time he spent on land compared to the water but Magnus got the feeling that most of his time was spent in the ocean, near his family.  

While he couldn’t blame him for that, he hoped he might be able to get Alec out of the water on occasion.  He really did have lovely legs.

“Sorry about her.  She seems to think that she gets the first crack at you.  I thought if you stayed up there for a minute, I could hold her off.”  Alec’s apologetic tone brought a smile to Magnus’ face and he leaned in to kiss the sweet man.  Meeting Isabelle first didn’t bother him at all, and he told Alec as much. “Well, I expect she has more things to ask you.  I’ve just delayed her plans for a while. Mother and Jace will get in on it as well. The rest are far more laid back.”

“Do not worry about it, Alexander.  She cares about you and wanted to make sure you are okay.  I won’t ever fault her for that.” Looking back over his shoulder to where Izzy and Clary spoke with one another.  “I actually think I have something she might like. Would it be alright if I gave her a gift?” It couldn’t’ hurt to try and win some brownie points with his lover’s sister.  

Alec’s eyes were wide and Magnus thought he saw tears forming in them, “I would love it if you did that for her.  It means a lot that you would make that kind of effort for my sister.”

“I mean, she’s sort of my sister now too, right?” Magnus asked, hoping he wasn’t completely off base.  “And it helps to have allies, in case the rest of them aren’t as supportive of our relationship.” He wanted to believe that the family would love him but experience told him that he was a lot to get used to so Magnus prepared himself for the worst.

Alec, however, laughed and shook his head.  “If they can accept _Simon,_ then they can accept you.  And if they don’t, that is their problem.  I love you, and that is what matters.”

Every time he heard those words in the past, they’d come with strings attached.  Someone wanting something from him and knowing that he would do anything for the people he loved.  But Alec? Sweet, guileless Alec who couldn’t be deceptive if he tried. Magnus’ heart stopped in his chest when those words fell so easily from his lips as if they were so true that they didn’t even warrant a huge fanfare.  As if loving Magnus was as natural as breathing. He swallowed hard and pulled Alec close, pressing their lips together. “I love you too, my darling Alexander,” he whispered, their eyes meeting as Alec understood the significance of what just transpired.

His smile split his face and Magnus’ mirrored it.  “We love each other,” he grinned, seemingly unable to stop.  Sure, it was early but the heart knows. Magnus always believed that.  He hoped that the day he met his soulmate, his heart would stand up and say, “Oh, there you are.  I’ve been waiting for you,” just as it did when he met Alexander.

Magnus could have stayed there smiling and sharing kisses with his lover when someone tapped him on his shoulder.  Alec’s eyes hardened infinitesimally and he reached out to place his hands on Magnus’ waist, pulling him closer. “Jace, be nice.  I was polite to Simon when you brought him home.”

“You threatened to punch him in the face and told him to go back where he came from,” Jace countered and Magnus, no matter how much he loved Alec, knew that Jace’s version of the events was more likely true.  “But, I was just coming over to tell him welcome. Because I am the nice brother.”

Alec’s scoffing laughter had Magnus’ laughing as well.  “A pleasure to meet you, Jace. I’m Magnus. I hear your soulmate is from Brooklyn too?”

They both laughed when Jace narrowed his eyes at Alec, “Is that all you’ve heard?  He's never been nice to Simon so I want to know if I’m going to have to defend his honor with you as well?”

Hand placed over his heart, Magnus fought the smirk threatening to break out on his face as he vowed, “I haven’t met him yet, but promise to treat Sherwin with all the respect that he is due.”

Alec laughed, his whole body shaking as he tucked his head against Magnus’ neck and Magnus beamed with pride at making Alec that happy.  Jace seemed to soften too, looking at them with something akin to acceptance. “Be good to him,” Jace demanded before swimming off and Magnus knew he wasn’t just talking about Simon.  

It didn’t escape his notice just how much his family loved Alec.  Isabelle and Jace both making sure that Magnus put Alec’s happiness first.  He might have been insulted that they thought he might not do that without being told, but mostly Magnus was happy that people other than him loved Alec enough to look after him. “Do you charm everyone like that?  You insulted his mate and you still got Jace’s blessing. Which is what that was, if you couldn’t tell. You’re amazing.”

As if Alec wasn’t the one who was amazing.  He helped take care of his family and they were all returning the favor if Isabelle was to be believed.  Magnus knew he was lucky to have this man. “I love you, Alexander.” Even though they’d just said the words only a few minutes ago, Magnus wondered if there would ever be a time when he didn’t want to tell him constantly what Alec meant to him.

Alec smiled and rolled his eyes, “I love you too.  Come on. You need to go meet my mother before we do anything else.  She’ll never forgive me if I try and hide you away.”

Of all of Alec’s relatives, his mother was the one Magnus worried the most about the meeting.  Everything his soulmate told him about his mother made it clear she was a formidable woman who wouldn’t let anyone cross her family.  Alec’s story of how she threw out her own mate the moment she found out he’d been cheating on her with a mermaid in another pod...Magnus respected her so much.  Even if she terrified him. Because he wouldn’t like to be the next one left behind.

Not that he would ever, _ever_ cheat on Alexander.  Magnus had too much respect for monogamy to do that.  He always told people he was a one soul at a time kind of man.

“You promise she won’t rip my tail off?” he asked, only half joking.  “Are you sure she will like me? Or at least accept me? I want to be good enough for you in her eyes.”  

Alec sighed and took Magnus’ hand.  “You are good enough for me in _my_ eyes, and that should be enough for all of them.  If it isn’t, then I will deal with them. You are mine and I am yours and I won’t let them get in between us for anything in the sea.”

Magnus didn’t know who moved first, only that one moment they were holding hands and the next their arms were wrapped around each other in a passionate embrace.  Nipping at Alec’s bottom lip, he was rewarded with an indecent moan and Alec parted his lips and granting Magnus entrance. They could have stayed like that forever, Magnus thought, as he knew he would never get used to kissing this beautiful, steadfast merman, but they were interrupted by a gentle clearing of the throat.  

Attempting to jump back, Magnus chuckled when Alec held tight to him, keeping him close.  “Mother,” Alec said, voice tight and face flushed, though he looked her in the eyes as though daring to challenge them.  

“Alec,” she nodded, and Magnus relaxed as he saw her fighting the humor blazing in her eyes.  If she thought the situation was funny, then he didn’t think he had anything to worry about from Maryse.  “I was hoping you two might break apart long enough so you could introduce me to your mate?”

Beaming back at her, Magnus moved forward to extend his hand, lacing his other with Alec’s to retain the comfort that his lover’s presence brought him.  “I’m Magnus Bane. It is a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” The formalities tasted foreign in Magnus’ mouth but he wanted to make the best first impression, particularly since he could feel Alec’s heart pounding through their joined hands.

“Magnus.  A pleasure as well.  It seems you have already charmed my hardest to appease child.”  She glanced at Alec who rolled his eyes and blushed even deeper, a feat Magnus didn’t think possible.  “Isabelle is also singing your praises and Jace isn’t trying to get you kicked out of the pod so I feel like you will fit in just fine around here.”  

Just when he thought he’d escaped and Jace was the worst he was going to get was from the pod, Maryse leaned in, “You take care of my son. Alec does everything to take care of this family, has sacrificed so much.  You need to treat him with respect or you will not leave this ocean alive. Every one of us would hurt you if you dare break my son’s heart.” He knew his eyes were probably bulging out of his head and he could hear Alec protesting his mother’s words but Magnus didn’t take his eyes away from hers, hoping she knew he would never do anything to hurt Alexander.  When she nodded, he let out a breath. “I see we have an understanding. Be good to Alexander and he will love you forever.”

She left a moment after that and Magnus stayed staring at her.  Magnus, I’m so sorry about that,” Alec was saying and eventually, Magnus shook his head to clear his thoughts and turned to face his lover.

With a small smile, Magnus placed a finger over Alec’s lips, “Don’t apologize.  They all love you and want to make sure you are being taken care of. How can I fault them for that?  Besides, I will never hurt you so those threats are meaningless anyway.”

The rest of the day was spent settling in.  Magnus met Clary, Simon, and Luke. Apparently, Luke adopted Clary when her own father killed her mother.  Unable to save her mother, Luke fought him and was victorious, so he took the small mermaid and raised her as his own.  When he met Maryse and her family, they’d joined together for safety. Little did they know that Clary and Maryse’s daughter would become mates, or that Luke and Maryse would find love with one another.  Simon, while from the land, became Clary’s best friend almost instantly, according to Luke. “I went from having a daughter and daughter-in-law to having a son and daughter and a son-in-law and daughter-in-law,” he laughed.  He did seem to care about all the members of the pod, despite being one of the newer people in the group.

When they retired to their cave for the night - each couple having their own, with Max living with Maryse and Luke, Magnus snuggled up against Alec and sighed contentedly.  “Simon was every bit as annoying as you said he would be, but I kind of like him.” He was a sweet kid in a completely foreign world. Magnus probably understood him better than Alec did.

“I like him too,” Alec admitted, a small smile on his lips.  “But please don’t tell Jace that. I have a reputation to maintain.”

“Noted, darling.”  While he had more to say, Magnus yawned - a weird experience with gills -  and sighed. Between the lack of sleep the night before, the excitement over meeting everyone, and the exercise of muscles he’d never used before, Magnus was exhausted.  “Sorry, Alexander. I really am trying to stay awake,” he said sleepily, pressing his face to Alec’s neck.

“Go to sleep, Magnus,” Alec prompted.  “We have forever. You don’t need to stay awake for all of it.”

Forever.

Magnus could get used to that.


	2. Alicante

As he grew stronger and more accustomed to the water, Magnus found things in their life that he was very good at and things he struggled with.  Without the pod - and his magic - he probably would have starved to death that first month. Hunting required speed and agility, things he lacked in the clumsy way he swam at the beginning.  He accompanied Jace, Alec, and Izzy out on every hunt, wanting to learn from them.

However, his interest turned significantly less practical as he watched Alec in action.  While Alec was beautiful on land, Alec in the water was something else entirely. In his element, Alec was a vision.  He moved so quickly Magnus wouldn’t even let himself blink for fear of missing something. On more than one occasion, he’d taken the catch from Alec’s arms, shoved it into Jace’s hands and dragged his boyfriend away from the pod to show him just how attractive he found this all to be.  

Slowly, Magnus adjusted to life in the pod.  After living on his own for centuries, it was strange to have others around all the time.  But in a good way. Magnus adored Clary and Isabelle, liked Simon well enough, accepted Jace’s existence, and slowly became more comfortable Luke, Maryse, and Max.  He hoped to introduce them to his own family someday but right now, he settled for learning about them. 

Living with Alec was the best part though.  Waking up every morning to the sleepy face of the merman who stole his heart, Magnus couldn’t believe his luck.  Alec’s smile when he opened his eyes and saw Magnus there next to him was as bright as the sun they’d lay under when it was at its highest point of the day, floating on top of the water and sunning themselves in its warm rays.  If he could have been nourished by Alec’s smiles alone, Magnus would have no need for food again for as long as he should live.

The downside to living with a lot of people, even if they did have their own space within the pod’s home, was that privacy was a bit of an illusion.  While no one had any doors or barriers in front of their caves, Magnus quickly learned that it was an unwritten rule that you did not intrude on another couple’s space without at least announcing your presence first.  Most of them abided by that rule. Clary sometimes got excited and rushed right in but most of the time, if they were being interrupted, it was Jace. 

“Jace is my brother in every way that matters,” Alec sighed, as they watched the retreating form of the blond after he’d barged in on them again, just as things were getting  _ interesting _ .  “I love him as much as I love the rest of my family.  Maybe even more because I know what he’s been through and want to keep him safe.  But he’s the only one I want to kill on a regular basis.”

Covering his mouth to avoid laughing at the sentiment, Magnus gestured for Alec to continue.  “Before you, I didn’t really care that he was coming in here all the time. I had nothing to hide and sometimes it was nice to have my home not be so empty, you know?”  Magnus certainly understood that. He loved his loft but it felt so cavernous at times. It was much better when his friends were visiting. 

“But,” Alec continued, “he’d rush headlong into danger if given even half the chance.  I’ve had to help him fight off half the creatures of this region just because he got an idea in his head and ran with it without thinking it out first.  With Simon, he is better. At least he thinks about his mate before he does something idiotic. Simon has been a calming influence on him, which is remarkable considering the amount of anxiety he gives me.”  Magnus did laugh at that, kissing Alec’s cheek. 

Alec smiled, wrapping his arms around Magnus and resting his head against his lover’s shoulder.  “However, with you here, he seems to forget that he can’t just burst in whenever he wants. This is  _ our _ home now, not just mine, and I don’t want him interrupting the time I get to spend with you.”

Magnus would admit that Jace’s constant interruptions were starting to drive him crazy as well.  Having lived alone for as long as he had, he was still getting used to sharing with Alec, let alone the rest of his family.  If nothing else, he and Alec deserved some time alone to get to know one another, both emotionally and carnally, without Alec’s family looking in on them every few minutes.  “I love your family, even the blond one,” he laughed, trying to calm Alec’s frustrations, “but I agree that it would be nice if he could at least give us some warning. I promise I am quite talented on land when it comes to intimacy but with this new form of my body, it might take me awhile to figure things out.  Being interrupted every five minutes is not going to be conducive to learning how to pleasure you and be pleasured in return.”

He relished the way Alec’s eyes darkened and he found himself pressed against the wall of their cave, Alec’s body against his own so that it was impossible to tell where one’s scales ended and the other began.  Alec’s hands started sliding down his body. Down... Down...

“ALEC!  Let’s go hunting, I’m bored.”  It was the closest Jace came to giving them a warning but by the time he finished yelling, he floated right in front of them.  “Seriously?  _ Again? _  Can’t you two keep your hands to yourselves for more than an hour?”

“I haven’t even gotten a chance to be with him at all, Jace!  You keep interrupting me! Get out! Take your mate and leave me to spend time with mine.”  Magnus looked between the brothers, feeling the frustration come off his lover in waves. “Jace I love you but go away!”

Thankfully Jace didn’t argue, probably seeing the anger in Alec’s eyes.  He simply turned and fled as fast as he could, leaving a slumping Alec in his wake.  “I’m sorry, Magnus. I know you were expecting to have some privacy and I understand if you don’t want to...”

“Whatever you are about to say, Alexander can stop right now.  I want to be wherever you are. So if it means dealing with people coming in here at all times, then so be it.  I’m sure eventually we will get some privacy.” It didn’t seem like it at the moment but Magnus had to believe that soon enough Alec’s family would get used to the fact that Alec had someone that he wanted to spend time with without being bothered by siblings and parents.  

“Yeah, maybe when we’ve been together for fifty years,” Alec grumbled, obviously still pissed at his brother and by extension the rest of the family.  “We need our own space. We need... Magnus, will you leave with me? You’re new to the ocean, there’s so much I can show you. Let’s take some time and go explore together.  They can all hunt well enough, they don’t need me to stay for that. Jace, Izzy, Luke, and mom are good at fighting, they can protect the rest of them. Let’s go. You and me, seeing the world.  What do you say?”

Part of Magnus thought they should stay and try to work out their place as a couple in this family.  But, with Alec’s eyes lighting up at the idea of travel as a couple, Magnus couldn’t say no. The family would be here when they got back and they could work things out then. “Sure, I would love that, Alexander.  I can only imagine the kinds of things you could show me.” Just the small part of the ocean he’d seen was fascinating. Considering just how much space they could cover, there was no telling what else they would see.

With an idea in mind, Alec visibly relaxed before Magnus’ eyes.  Knowing that they would be able to be together without the constant interruptions, it took a weight off Alec’s shoulders and his smile lit up the dim cave.  “We can leave soon. I have a lot of places I want to show you. And then, maybe, you could show me your home?”

“Yes,” he grinned.  “I can't wait to show you, Brooklyn.  At least my part of Brooklyn.” Which would probably be at least a little different from what Simon would have experienced growing up, if for no other reason than Magnus had lived there for much, much longer. Picturing Alec in his loft - in his  _ bed  _ \- was almost too good for Magnus.  “Specifically, my loft.”

Alec grinned and nodded, “Then it’s settled.  We will leave in the next day or so and I will show you the ocean and then you can show me, Brooklyn.  Maybe by then, Jace will have learned some restraint when it comes to barging into our home.”  _ Their home _ had such a nice ring to it, but Magnus knew he was inclined to love anything that involved him and Alec together.  

The family took the news that they were leaving for awhile well.  Max pouted a bit and Jace told them they were overreacting but the rest of them shushed him pretty quickly.  Maryse hugged each of them in turn. “Keep him safe and return home to us soon,” she whispered in Magnus’ ear and he nodded emphatically.  If nothing else, he would protect Alec. With his life if necessary.

It took two days for them to say their goodbyes and make their plans.  Magnus didn’t exactly know where they were going as he didn’t understand Alec’s names for the places he wanted to visit.  It never occurred to him that the merfolk wouldn’t necessarily know the human names. And if they did, what language would they be in.  It seemed a stroke of luck that they spoke English, but one Magnus wouldn’t question. It was convenient if nothing else. Though he would have learned another language for Alexander.  He would do anything for him.

While Magnus traveled often when on land, he’d gotten so used to using portals that it hardly felt like travel, the sensation more like stepping into another room rather than another city, country, or continent.  Traveling with Alec required effort. Having never been to these places before, a portal wasn’t an option, so after giving their family hugs and kisses goodbye, Magnus followed Alec out into the unknown for the second time in the short period that he’d known him.  

Staying close to his soulmate’s side, Magnus marveled that travel as a mer was almost as dull as travel as a mundane.  However twice as exhausting as there were no planes, trains, or cars to do the actual movement for you.

“Can you tell me anything about the place we’re going?” Magnus asked at their first stop.  Alec caught a few fish for them and they ate quietly, Magnus body aching in a way he never knew it could.  Getting used to eating like the merfolk did was a challenge and he hoped that when they eventually made their way to his loft, he could introduce Alec to steak.  Something cooked sounded wonderful about now.

Alec considered, “It is a coral reef, full of life.  It’s more brightly colored than anywhere else I’ve been and the merfolk who liver there are trying to protect it even as the humans keep killing more and more of it.  I’ve been going there more often because they don’t know if it will survive.” The weight of Alec’s words settled over him and Magnus knew now where they were going. 

“The humans call it the Great Barrier Reef,” Magnus told him, trying to keep his mind off the raw fish he was eating.  “It’s off the coast of a country called Australia. It’s one of the few places in the world I haven’t spent a lot of time.  I’m glad you suggested we go there.” Maybe he could use his magic to help? Though, warlocks and Seelies alike had been using their magic for years to try and undo the devastation caused by mundanes to no avail.  He hoped that eventually the mundanes would try and fix things themselves but he couldn’t see the future, no matter how powerful he might be.

Alec smiled and soon enough they were on their way once more.  While Magnus didn’t know exactly where the pod’s home was, he knew it wasn’t close to Australia or Indonesia, which meant that Alec wasn’t joking when he said he was fast.  Between the currents and whatever magic it was that created the merfolk in the first place, they covered far more distance than should have been possible in one day. 

After the vast blue-green of the ocean, coming into the reef was like stepping out of a dark theater into the sunlight at noon day.  Brightness lit up every color of the rainbow and a few Magnus swore he’d never seen before. In his awe, Magnus stopped swimming, just floated there, staring at the reef spread out below them.  

“Magnus?” Alec’s voice cut through the static in his mind and Magnus blinked, focusing once more on his lover.  “Are you coming?” Alec, several feet ahead of him, swam back eyes searching for anything that might be wrong. 

Smiling, Magnus nodded.  “Sorry, darling. I never expected it would look like this.”  No wonder this was such a tourist destination for so many mundanes.  This beautiful world, usually unseen to them. With the right equipment, they could actually see what Alec’s people had lived with all along.  Even if he didn’t have Alec, this moment right here made Magnus glad for his choice. Because he wanted this world, every part of it. 

But he did have Alec and he got to share it with him.  

“Do you come here often?” He laughed at his own bad pickup line, though the joke seemed to go right past Alec who shook his head.  

“No, not really.  There are too many humans around these days.  It is getting harder and harder to hide from them here.  Our people, our kind, this was originally our home. Well, one of them.  There are several underwater cities but this is the one my family came from.  We call it Alicante. But with so many humans in the water and so much pollution from them, most of us have fled for deeper waters.  Only the most stubborn stay here and try to keep the city from disappearing completely.”

Having been under the impression that most of Alec’s kind lived like their pod, he blinked in the face of this new information.  Whole cities of merfolk under the water and completely hidden from mundane eyes. And warlock ones, it would appear. “How have these remained unknown to everyone but you for so long?  The mundanes are always exploring. You would think that they would have found it by now.” 

“They have on occasion,” Alec shrugged.  “But our magic keeps them from really seeing it.  Atlantis has been discovered so many times. They know it is there but they can’t find it when they go back.  Brocelind is protected by an area of magic, connected by three separate islands. The mundanes know something strange happens there but they don’t know what.  And this one is a simple glamour, hidden from all but those who know how to look for it.” It seemed so simple, and yet, wouldn’t the Shadow World at least know of it, those who could see past a glamour.

“Does anyone on land know?  Have you let anyone in on your secrets?”  He knew there was some information on the merfolk in the Spiral Labyrinth but Magnus never read up on it.  It never seemed pertinent until very recently. 

Alec nodded, “Our cousins know of us.  They visit on occasion. Their magic keeps them safe.  I believe you call them Seelies.” 

And that explained everything to Magnus.  Because the Seelies wouldn’t share anything unless forced and even then spoke in code more often than not.  There is no way the Queen would have allowed them to tell anyone in the Shadow World anything about their cousins under the seas.  “So you are one of the Fair Folk? It’s always been suspected but no one really knew how to find your kind in order to check.” Which meant that the love of his life was immortal, just like him.  If nothing else came from this trip to the seven seas, now Magnus knew that he didn’t need to worry about watching Alec age and die before his eyes. 

“And you are one of Lilith’s children.  I probably know more about your kind than you do about ours.  Our cousins on the land speak highly of your kind, so when I met you, I’d hoped that you would turn out to be one of the good ones.”  Alec smiled, pulling Magnus close, “I guess I was right.”

They kissed for a moment, lost in the feeling of one another before Magnus remembered there was an entire hidden city somewhere close, filled with merfolk and he was able to see now.  He could kiss Alec later, though, judging by Alec’s pout when Magnus pulled away, he would need to make it up to him. “I want you to show me Alicante, Alexander. Then I am happy to kiss you as much as you like.”

Alec stole a kiss anyway, his grin lighting him up like the sun when he got away with it.  His lover took his hand and they made their way through the coral. “Be careful,” Alec pointed out when they got to a narrow passageway.  “It’s sharp so watch your scales. They hurt if they get dislodged.” Magnus wondered if it felt like ripping a fingernail but decided he really didn’t wish to find out.  Slowly, he navigated through the tunnel, barely missing scraping his tail on the tight sides. 

The water ahead held a strange shimmer and Magnus pushed past Alec to look at it closer.  He didn’t notice his lover standing back, smirking at him as Magnus realized that what he was seeing was one of the strongest glamours he’d ever encountered.  It gave an oily appearance to the water, except it went vertical through the water instead of horizontal. “This is it, isn’t it darling?” Magnus asked excitedly.  It was hard to see where they were but it just looked like more of the same on the other side. Assuming it was the glamour doing its work, Magnus gave Alec one more glance and pushed through.  

At first, he thought maybe he’d missed it but no, this was on the other side of the glamour.  Everything still looked like coral, though he could see much more merfolk than he’d encountered before.  “Welcome to Alicante,” Alec said, taking his hand. “It doesn’t look like much from here for a reason. Even with the glamour, sometimes humans get through.  It’s safer for us to keep it underground as much as possible.”

Just when Magnus thought he couldn’t get more excited, Alec threw new information at him.  “This is an underground, under sea city of merfolk? Alexander, this is the greatest thing I have ever seen, apart from you when you showed up on the beach that first day.”

“Just the first day?” Alec teased him and Magnus couldn’t help but roll his eyes and give the man a kiss.  “I thought for sure you would have said some other days too. Like the one where you joined me in the water.  Or the one where you found out about my legs.”

“Certainly not this one since you won’t stop mocking me,” Magnus laughed.  “But seriously, do you know how rare it is for someone my age to find something they’ve never seen or heard of before?  Alexander, this is the most exciting discovery of my life, second only to finding out that my soulmate was the most beautiful merman I’ve ever laid eyes on.  And now I’ve seen a few so I feel qualified to say that.”

Knowing the conversation could have gone on for much longer than that if Magnus let it, he instead took Alec’s hand and pulled him towards the city.  “I want to see. Please?” His cat eyes glowed, big and round and sad, a face he knew very few people could ignore without feeling their hearts break.  (He’d used it effectively on every one of his friends and lovers with two exceptions. And that was only because he believed Raphael and Ragnor’s hearts were too hard and small to really feel anything for anyone but each other.  Or so he told them when they didn’t do what he was demanding.)

“Fine,” Alec sighed and Magnus grinned, blinking his glamour back into place.  “So, Alicante is the capital of our kind. Atlantis might be the most well known but that is because a thousand years ago, they thought they might be able to set up some trade with people on the land.  It...didn’t go well and now the Atlantisians are even more standoffish than the rest of us.” That seemed to be the story any time the mundane world encountered the Shadow World, at least in Magnus’ experience.  More often than not, when mundanes found out about them, things didn’t go well.

“Would it be possible to go to Atlantis?  I’ve always wanted to see it. Particularly after the movie came out?”  Magnus doubted it was anything like what the Disney filmed portrayed but he wanted to be able to say he saw the mythical city for himself.  Not even Ragnor could say that. 

Alec shrugged, “We can try.  They’re assholes if I’m being honest.  Even to other merfolk. Don’t know why.  I guess they just think they are better than us.”

“There are always people like that, whether they are mundane or warlock or fae.  I am not surprised to hear that the merfolk have it as well.” Magnus had lived in far too many communities, through far too many centuries, to think there would ever be a place where one group didn’t think themselves better than the rest.  “We can still go and be a thorn in their side if nothing else. I want to see it. And I’ve always prided myself on rubbing people the wrong way.” He smirked, leaning closer to Alec, “However, if you play your cards right, I could be persuaded to rub you the right way.”

“Magnus,” Alec groaned, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.  “Not here.” Before Magnus could be disappointed, Alec smirked back at him.  “Later.”

Pleasantly surprised by his lover’s reply, Magnus grinned and nodded.  “Later indeed, my darling. Now, show me around town. I’m curious what a city under the water would be like.”  

It turned out that it was nothing like an actual city, to the point that Magnus wondered if Alec had ever been in one on the land.  Alicante reminded Magnus more of the pod’s home than New York, London, or any city he’d ever visited. Built inside a coral reef (or the coral formed into this shape to specifically create the city), it was mostly a collection of caverns.  Some were filled with human artifacts, no doubt pillaged from shipwrecks or cast off my boaters without a care for the environment. Others appeared to be homes, while a few bigger ones might have been meeting rooms or religious spaces. 

In short, it was the barest idea of a city Magnus had ever seen.  But, he could see how this worked a lot better than what a human considered a city.  Made entirely from the environment around them, everything lived in harmony. The mundanes could learn a thing or two from Alicante.  Not that they would ever see it. 

“How many people live here?” Magnus asked as they saw a few others swimming in and out of the city.  “It doesn’t look very big.”

Alec shrugged, “A couple dozen, maybe?  There aren’t a lot of us. It’s hard to have pups and you and Simon are definitely the exception when it comes to people from the land joining us.  We live forever, but that doesn’t mean we don’t get killed on occasion. Our numbers are holding steady but only just.” 

His blood running cold at the thought of Alec being killed, Magnus made plans to keep his lover safe.  Surely he could find some sort of charm or token that would offer him protection, even when Magnus wasn’t around to do it himself.  

Seeing Alec staring intently at him, Magnus raised a brow.  “Darling, everything okay? You got quiet there for a moment.”

“Only because you did.  I thought you were going to say something but you had a far off look and when I tried to get your attention, you didn’t say anything.”  Magnus hadn’t realized how hard he’d been thinking about the possibility of losing Alec, especially since they just found one another. 

He offered a sheepish smile, “I was taken aback by the fact that you can die.  I suppose I wasn’t ready to come to terms with that just yet. I’ve lived for so long and everyone I love has either left or died with the exception of my few friends back on the land.  And then, I walked away from them. I crossed the horizon just to find you. And I guess, thinking about the fact that you could die, it reminds me that they could as well. I finally have a family that is immortal and that still might not be enough to guarantee to have everyone around forever.”  He paused, “Though, I can die, too. So maybe I wouldn’t be the one left alone.” 

Which was a depressing thought now that he had it in mind.  All Magnus wanted was to be happy with the people he loved forever.  But there were no guarantees in life, not even for immortals. So, instead of fixating on that, he focused on the fact that he and Alec found one another, that his friends were all happy and in love back home, and for now, they had one another.

“Come on,” Alec nudged him, offering a smile.  “We can usually find fishing ships just outside of Alicante.  We can go steal some crabs from them. Easier than hunting.” 

Alec’s smile, Magnus decided, could make anything better.  “I’d love that, darling. Lead the way.”


	3. Brocelind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alicante not being too Magnus' taste, Alec takes him somewhere far more interesting. With a quick stop to spend some _quality_ time with one another as well.

It turned out that Magnus’ idea of a city and the merfolk idea of a city were very different.  There was no commerce of which to speak. Mainly, it was an area where a large number of them lived if Alicante was anything to go by.  It was nice and Magnus had a ton of questions about their magic and their lives, but other than the few times they went near the surface to steal from fishing vessels (where Alec did not appreciate his “I’m going to touch the butt” references, much to Magnus’ dismay) there wasn’t anything really interesting about life in Alicante.  

“It feels...sterile,” he finally settled on one night when they curled together in the den they’d claimed as their own for their time there.  It was small, with more light than their cave back home but there seemed to always be people coming and going outside so there was even less privacy here then back with the pod.   Alec tried to reassure him that no one would care what they were doing in their own den, but Magnus rather hoped for some privacy before they did anything. That was rather the point of them going on vacation, after all.

So they settled for talking about anything and everything that came to mind.  And while Magnus didn’t think Alec would be too upset by his view of Alicante, it was a relief to know Alec felt the same way.  “The people who live here are very sheltered,” he explained. “In more ways than one. Between the reef which gives them protection, to the wards, to the fact that they very rarely venture outside the city, none of them really have an idea what it is like to live in the rest of the ocean.  We come in here sometimes wounded from fights with the things we share our waters with and they tend to look at us like we are barbarians. They once told me I couldn’t come in until I stopped bleeding.”

As if Magnus couldn’t dislike this place anymore, the fact that they would leave his wounded mate outside the protective barriers of the city just because he might bleed on something made him hate the people here. “I know this is your home or was at one point, but can we leave tomorrow?   I want to see someplace else, maybe with people I don’t want to brutally murder for that utter disregard for your safety.” 

Alec laughed, “Yeah.  There’s a lot of other places I could take you.  I bet you would love Brocelind. It is a lot more interesting, as far as mer life.  It’s...well, you would need to see it for yourself.” Alec told him there were other cities out there but that Alicante considered itself the capital.  When he thought of capitals, he thought about it as the biggest. Which meant that anything else besides Alicante was probably smaller. Magnus raised a brow and Alec shrugged, “I guess you will have to trust me.  But we agree that Alicante is pretty awful, so do you think we might agree that Brocelind is better?” 

“You know I trust you with my life.  Nothing will ever change that.” In centuries of life, Magnus learned to harden himself off, to keep himself apart.  Getting attached, feeling anything only led to heartbreak. And when he gave his trust to someone, it was almost always broken immediately after.  So for him to trust Alec so quickly and implicitly was rare indeed. Magnus didn’t know if Alec understood the significance of what he felt for his mate, but he hoped with time, Alec would come to see it for what it was.  The most sincere form of love Magnus ever felt. 

Alec grinned and leaned in, kissing Magnus softly.  “Then it’s settled. We’ll go to Brocelind. It will take a couple days to get there as it’s in another ocean.  Maybe we could stop by our island on the way? I know you’ve been wanting some privacy.” His wicked grin had Magnus smirking in return.  

“I don’t know.  We might have to stay for a couple days if we go there,” he purred, running his hand down Alec’s chest.  “Will that throw off our scheduled itinerary?”

Alec’s answering growl and the passionate kiss he pulled Magnus into a moment later answered that question perfectly.  Which was why they were gone from Alicante before daybreak, dodging the fishing trawlers in an attempt to get to their island with plenty of time to enjoy the noontime sun.

With each passing day, Magnus got better at swimming so it took less than an hour to get there whereas it took half a day to cross the same distance when he first joined Alec in the ocean.  “Home sweet home?” Magnus grinned as they made their way onto the beach. Going on shore was not a graceful thing by any stretch of the imagination and he was thankful that only Alec was there to watch the ungraceful movements he made trying to get himself out of the water.  

The moment they were both free from the waves, Magnus rolled Alec to his back and kissed him for all he was worth.  Their gills sealed up the moment they got into the air so they had to keep breaking apart to breathe but only a few moments later, they would be back together again, seemingly incapable of being apart.  

At some point, they dried enough that the scales melted away, leaving their legs tangled together as they held one another close.  Both men gasped at the sensation of their mutual arousals pressed tight against the other and Magnus practically growled, pressing Alec into the sand and settling between his legs like a man on a mission.  “Magnus,” Alec moaned as Magnus kissed down his neck. The next “Magnus!” was more forceful and he had to look up to see what could have brought about that sound. “We learned the last time, doing this on the beach is uncomfortable for both of us.  With the sand and all.”

Magnus whined, not wanting to stop but also not wanting to hurt either of them simply because they were too impatient to wait a few more minutes.  “Race you to the house?” he grinned, feeling less than happy about the situation but knowing that once they had a bed, he would be more than thrilled that they took this time.  

Frowning, Alec pushed himself up to stand.  They both knew full well that Magnus would win this race.  Underwater, Alec had him beat, but on land, Alec was still a little unsteady, particularly those first few minutes after coming ashore.  “What does the winner get?” Alec asked, and Magnus could see those gears working in his head, wondering what he would have to do when he lost.  Not that Magnus would make him do anything that either of them wouldn’t enjoy. 

He pretended to think for a moment and then shrugged.  “Winner has to blow the other on first.” With that, he took off for the house, knowing the path well from his time here on Valentine’s Day.  Now, when they came here, it was simply to open a portal to the loft. (The first time, Magnus tried to open one underwater, which ended up with a flooded loft and some very confused fish that he sent back to the ocean immediately.  After that, they made sure to be on land before he tried that again.)

Alec footsteps weren’t far behind and he wondered how long it would be before Alec could actually beat him on land.  The day that happened, Magnus would be so proud. Alec had come so far already and he couldn’t wait to see what else the two of them could do over the eternity they would have together. 

He actually managed to catch up to him just as Magnus got to the bedroom but unable to stop properly, Alec wrapped an arm around Magnus’ waist and they both tumbled to the bed in an unglorified heap.  “You were doing so well until we toppled,” Magnus laughed, cupping Alec’s face in his hands and kissing him. He didn’t know he could feel so light and free anymore. The weight of his years started to push down upon him before they met but now with Alec, Magnus felt joy once more.

Alec’s lips met Magnus’ own and for the next few hours, they lost themselves in one another.  Their time together hadn’t been long enough for this to feel habitual or practiced. Every time they came together, Magnus learned something new about his lover and he knew Alec was learning new things about him.  The excitement of being with a new lover had yet to wear off and Magnus hoped it would stay for a long time. Sex with Alec was some of the best he’d ever had and he couldn’t wait to see how much better it got as the years, decades, centuries passed.  

They fell asleep that night wrapped in one another’s arms, in a bed that felt like a cloud to Magnus.  It wasn’t as good as sleeping in the water, which Magnus found to be the most comfortable place to sleep he’d ever been, but it was almost as good as the loft which had been his favorite place before Alec.  

When Magnus woke the next morning to the bright sun shining in their eyes instead of the more muted lightness of the filtered sunlight in the sea, he grinned, seeing Alec still asleep.  He kissed along his lover’s neck and down his chest, feeling Alec’s heart rate pick up and his breath hitch. By the time he shuffled under the blanket to use his mouth to bring Alec to full alertness in the most pleasurable way possible, Alec’s hand was tangled in his hair and he was a mess, muttering Magnus’ name again and again.  

Alec, of course, had to return the favor, which led to other activities and by the time they got out of bed, lunch was quickly approaching.  “Do you want me to summon something?” Magnus asked, happy to get them whatever they wanted to eat. “Or should we start heading to Broceling?  Is that what you called it?”

“Brocelind,” Alec corrected, lounging on the porch of the small cabin, completely nude and completely unapologetic.  Magnus could sit and look at him forever and knew that he would spend a good deal of time over the rest of forever doing just that.  “Let’s hunt on our way there. You need practice and it will take awhile. I hadn’t counted on this detour.” Magnus raised a brow at him and Alec rolled his eyes, “I’m not saying I disliked the detour, only that we are now even further from where we were going.”  

They’d have to find some other deserted islands to claim as their own in other parts of the world, Magnus decided.  That way, no matter where they were, if they wanted to have that time alone, there would be somewhere nearby where they could go.  “Okay, but you’ll catch something for me if I fail? Or you’ll let me use magic?” He’d tried that the first day and Alec argued it was cheating.  Magnus didn’t see how. If he had magic and was skilled with magic, why shouldn’t he use it? But he humored Alec and tried it the more mundane (mer?) way.  And it was  _ hard _ .  But he kept trying and was rewarded with Alec’s bright smile the first (and so far only) time he managed to catch something, even if it was a slow moving crab.

“Magnus,” Alec said, turning to look at him with far more solemnity than a naked man should possess.  “I’m happy to provide for you whenever and however you need. Just as I know you are for me. So please don’t think I’ll let you starve just because you can’t catch a fish.”  And Magnus knew that. He knew Alec wasn’t going to leave him to flail on his own but hearing it made him feel better. Someone who wanted to take care of him was a new experience for Magnus.  

“I know, darling,” Magnus smiled.  “And I know I need to learn. It is hard for me sometimes to remember  _ not  _ to use magic.” 

Alec hugged him close, burying his face against Magnus’ neck.  Even after being on land for almost a day, Alec still smelled like the ocean; clean, fresh, slightly salty.  He loved it. Having grown up in an island country, Magnus always associated the ocean with some of the happier moments of his life.  Or at least the most memorable ones. But to fall in love with a man who was basically the ocean personified? Magnus never considered it though he didn’t know how.  The ocean made him happy and Alec made him euphoric. It was meant to be long before Magnus even realized it.

“Okay, if it is as far as you say it is, we should get going, as much as I am enjoying this.”  ANd he was. Any time Alec had his arms around him was pretty much the best time of Magnus’ life.  Sure, he preferred it when they were in bed but really, if Alec was holding him, Magnus was happy. 

Alec sighed, pressing a quick kiss to where Magnus’ gills would be once they were back under the water and pulled back.  “That’s probably for the best. It will take awhile to get there. It's in another ocean.”

Magnus raised a brow.  This would be new. So far they’d spent all their time in the Pacific.  He knew that much at least. This felt like the first time he left Indonesia and went to another country.  “Do you know what the humans call the ocean we are going to?” Alec knew some of the human terms - how, Magnus didn’t know - but most of the time, they just referred to them in the merfolk’s own terminology.  

Considering for a moment, Alec shook his head.  “No, not really. I think it is near one called the Atlantic but not a lot of humans go there, and the ones that do don’t talk about it, so I’m not sure what they call the area where Brocelind is.”  This only made Magnus more interested. What kind of place was this that humans didn’t go there, or refused to talk about it if they did. Humans were notoriously curious and notoriously chatty so this must be a very unusual place.  

A small dock darted off the beach and into the ocean not far from the house.  Magnus took Alec’s hand and led him down to it, preferring to jump right in rather than walk in and risk his tail appearing and causing him to fall over.  (He was graceful on land and he was graceful in the water. The in-between stage left a lot to be desired.) With one last smirk at him, Magnus dove in, doing his best to splash Alec as he did so. 

Alec joined him a moment later, rolling his eyes at Magnus as he darted ahead.  “You think you’re funny, don’t you?” 

“I know I’m funny.  You could only wish you were as funny as I am.”  It took Magnus a little while to catch up and he knew Alec was slowing down to let him get there.  

When he did, Alec smirked at him, “You are funny, Magnus.  But looks aren’t everything.”

Magnus was left gaping in shock, shocked at the way Alec’s sense of humor liked to surface at the strangest moments.  He knew it was a joke - and a good one too, he’d have to remember that for the next time he saw Ragnor - but he still felt the need to defend himself.  “Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!” 

“I don’t have a cow,” Alec said, spinning to stare at him.  

The simple certainty with which Alec said those words had Magnus bending over in laughter, endlessly amused by the things Alec did and did not know about human culture.  Of course, he would think Magnus was wishing dishonor on his cow. He wondered if Alec had even seen a cow before. “Never mind, Alexander. Show me how to get to Brocelind unless you wish to insult my appearance again?”

Alec looked stricken for a moment.  “I didn’t mean it, Magnus. You’re gorgeous.  You know that, right?” 

He smiled and kissed him, “I know darling.  And I’m just teasing you in return. Now, are we going?”  

Relieved, Alec nodded and took hold of Magnus’ hand, leading him away from the island and farther out to sea.  They found food easily enough and Magnus even managed to catch a couple fish on his own, much to Alec’s delight.  They ate and swam until it was well after dark. They slept, deep enough to not be bothered by ships but otherwise in the open as the water was far too deep here for them to go in search of shelter on the seafloor.  

While sleeping in their small cave at home was comfortable and inviting, sleeping out in the open was terrifying and Magnus was glad this wasn’t how they spent most nights.  He would never get enough sleep to feel rested at all. 

The next day they traveled at a much slower pace, neither of them having gotten much sleep.  “It’s not far now,” Alec assured him as they both started drifting off course, too tired to fight the current as they swam.  “Once we get there, we’ll find a place to sleep and then explore tomorrow.”

That sounded perfect to Magnus and it put an extra push in each flick of his tail, propelling him in the direction Alec indicated, his lover close behind him.  Soon enough, Magnus felt the familiar tingle of wards as they crossed them. “Brocelind?” he asked and Alec nodded. 

“It’s more of a region than a full city,” Alec explained.  “But there are more of us here, just spread over a bigger area so it doesn’t feel like it.  I think you will like it better than Alicante though.”

Alec had said that a few times and Magnus wondered what could be so much different about Brocelind that would appeal to him where Alicante had not.  It didn’t take long before Magnus had his answer. “Is that...? Is that a shipwreck?” he asked, eyes wide in delight as they approached the ship, broken but still clear as day, settled at the bottom of the sea.  

“Yeah, Brocelind is dotted with them.  It’s why most humans won’t come here. They seem to think it is cursed when really it is the wards we put up to keep them away.  But the ones that come here very rarely come back.” Magnus couldn’t believe this, looking from Alec to the wreck and back again.  

“Please tell me we can explore one,” he blurted out without thinking.  This was what he was expecting when he thought about being one of the merfolk.  Exploring shipwrecks, chasing pirates, luring men to their deaths. He wanted it all.  Well, maybe not the death part. And the only man he had interest in luring was already his but Magnus thought the sentiment remained.  

Alec laughed and nodded, “Of course.  We’re actually going to stay in one. Most of the people of Brocelind live in the abandoned ships.  The humans aren’t coming back for them so they’re ours now. Once we find an empty one, it will be ours until we wish to leave.”

Magnus didn’t both to hide his glee at that information and grabbed Alec’s hand, pulling him along.  “Which one do you want, Alexander? Darling, we need to get the best ship and then when I tell Ragnor about this, he’s going to die.  Well, not literally since he is immortal but metaphorically.” An idea occurred to him, “Is there a pirate ship? Tell me there is a pirate ship because we need to stay in one right now.”

“There are several,” Alec said, obviously trying to look around and get his bearings.  “We don’t really care much for the silly battles the mundanes wage above us but we do generally know which of the flags respected the seas and which do not.  While the humans might not like the pirates much, they showed far more respect to the waters and the inhabitants of said water than most of the other more  _ noble _ nations.”  Seeming to figure out what he was looking for, Alec was off like a dart, Magnus close behind.  They darted between some coral and sea plants, avoiding the fish that did just as much to avoid them as well.  

Alec came to a stop and pointed to a ship, grand and massive, the mast broken and a large hole in the hull but otherwise looked like it could still be sailing today.  “Is that one good enough. Most people don’t like it because it is too big and if you didn’t figure it out last night, we tend to prefer small spaces when we sleep, so I think we could get it without even having to fight anyone for it.”  

While he didn’t want to fight anyone for the right to sleep in the pirate ship, Magnus knew he would if necessary because he wanted that boat.  They’d have to bring Madzie sometime if he could figure out the magic to do it. She would love this and then both of them could taunt Ragnor with the knowledge that they played pirates without him.

Alec approached first but Magnus stayed close, his hands glowing a soft blue as his magic gathered just in case.  But there was no one inside and he did a little dance when they claimed it for themselves. “Wait, are there sharks in this area?”

Shaking his head, Alec laughed, “No, we wouldn’t settle anyplace with sharks.  They are generally bad news and we don’t have a lot of defense against them. Our wards protect us from mundanes but not from nature.”  Alec shuddered slightly, “Trust me, I’ve seen what happens when one of us goes up against a shark. It isn’t pretty. I prefer to avoid them whenever possible.”

“Why Alexander, I had no idea you were such a guppy,” Magnus grinned, teasing lightly. 

Alec rolled his eyes, “I don’t even know what a guppy is, but I can assure you I’m not one.  Need me to prove it to you?”

“If it involves kissing each other senseless, then yes, I am going to need you to prove it to me.”  Which was exactly what Alec did until they both fell asleep, happily curled together in the cabin on a sunken pirate ship.  

When he woke the next morning, feeling far more rested than he had the day before, Magnus left Alec where he was still sleeping and made his way out of the ship, looking around.  He hadn’t noticed just how many shipwrecks there were the day before but now that he felt like himself again, Magnus was shocked at just how many ships sat at the bottom of this sea.  They were from so many different eras, of every style one could imagine. In the distance, he could even see a couple planes. Which led him to ask exactly where Brocelind was located.  

He was still contemplating that when Alec joined him, wrapping his arms around Magnus’ waist and resting his chin on Magnus’ chin.  Remarkable, isn’t it? Humans have finally stopped coming here but they used to all the time. The merfolk who live here always make sure their bodies returned to the land so they could be found and returned to their families, but they kept coming for hundreds of years.  Now, they think it is a silly superstition but they still don’t pass this way.”

Finally, the pieces were beginning to fall into place and Magnus’ face passed from shock to amazement as he realized exactly where they were.  “Alexander, do you know what this place is?”

“Yeah, Brocelind,” Alec replied, obviously confused as to where Magnus was going with this. 

“Yes, Brocelind,” Magnus agreed, “but the mundanes have another name for it.  Darling! We’re in the Bermuda Triangle!”

 


	4. Atlantis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After learning that Atlantis is, in fact, real, Magnus needs to go there. Right now. 
> 
> Ragnor is going to be so jealous.

Brocelind was more to Magnus’ liking than Alicante ever was. It was freer here, nobody looking at them with barely concealed disdain.  Days spent exploring the wrecked ships and nights spent in one another’s arms, this was exactly what Magnus wanted out of this vacation with Alec.  There was no pressure to be anything or do anything that they didn’t want and, because of that, Magnus didn’t know the last time he smiled as much as he did.

Most of the treasure was already gone, the merfolk of previous generations had taken everything of interest but Magnus didn’t care all that much because exploring sunken ships was exciting enough as far as he was concerned.  “Have you ever been on a ship?” he asked as they swam around an old Spanish vessel, very much like the one Magnus took from Indonesia to Spain so very many years ago. “Not under the water but above it?” Back before he invented the portal, ships were his main method of transportation.  He loved them now, thinking about the romance of the sea and all of that, but at the time, they seemed like such a hassle. 

“No, never needed to.  I don’t see the point of leaving the water.”  Glancing at Magnus, Alec smiled, “Or I didn’t until I met you.  Meeting you on the beach was the first good thing that ever happened to me on land.”  

“I hope I’ve given you some other memories since then as well.”  Magnus understood. It was hard to leave your home and try something new, particularly if you’ve never done it before.  The first few times Magnus upended his whole life were terrifying. After that, he thought he was used to them. Until he met a merman and his life changed more dramatically than he ever thought possible.  “Now your mate is someone from the land. Does that bother you?”

Alec scoffed, “I love everything about you, Magnus.  I still can’t believe that you agreed to come here. I mean, you gave up everything for me.”

He shrugged.  Sure, it felt like that a little, but there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for Alec.  “Well, when faced with a beautiful merman offering me a whole new world that I want to be a part of, how could I say no?”  He smirked at Alec who just smiled and pulled him close. “The fact is, Alexander, that I love you, and I would follow you anywhere just so we could be together.  I look forward to showing you the places where I have lived as well someday, but right now, I am enjoying exploring my new home with you. Just know that I don’t feel like I gave anything up to be with you.  You are my soulmate, that is what matters to me.”

Alec nodded and tucked his face against Magnus’ neck.  “I love you too, and I want to show me your home. There is one place I want to show you and then maybe you could take me to Brooklyn?  I want to meet your family and see how you lived if that is okay with you.”

“Alexander, that is more than okay with you.  I can’t wait for you to meet them all. And I know they are eager to meet you too.”  He would need to make sure that Ragnor and Raphael behaved themselves. Dot and Cat too, now that he thought about it.  Really, Madzie was the only one he could trust. Something about being four-years-old made her inherently trustworthy in Magnus’ eyes.  “But, there was something else you wanted to show me? Or somewhere else you wanted to go?” Because he knew his family would still be there when they were done traveling, and right now Magnus was having too much fun to stop.  

“Yeah.  I think you’ll like this one.”  The sly smile on Alec’s lips was an unusual expression but Magnus liked it.  More than liked, he realized as heat started to pool in his stomach at the sight.  “Unless you don’t want to go to Atlantis.”

While Alec had mentioned it before, Magnus didn’t think he was serious.  Atlantis was a rumor, a myth along with the home of the gods being on Mount Olympus and Atlas holding the world on his shoulders.  But, why would Alec know about that? “So it’s real? Like, really real?” He cursed the fact that he was so inarticulate but being presented with evidence that something he’d only ever read about was actually a place he could visit had Magnus’ mind in overdrive.  “You take me to the Bermuda Triangle and to Atlantis within our first month of being together. If I’d ever held any doubt that you were the perfect person for me, you just dispelled it all.” 

“So you want to go?  To Atlantis, I mean?”  

Magnus rolled his eyes fondly.  “Of course I do, darling. I want to see everything with you, you know that.  But seeing Atlantis, in particular, is high on my list of things that I want to do.  When do you want to go?” 

Part of him expected Alec to want to leave immediately.  Instead, his lover pushed him backward, into one of the ships they’d been exploring.  With a predatory gleam in his eyes, Alec smirked, “Tomorrow. I have things I want to do tonight.”

Magnus didn’t need to ask and he certainly wasn’t going to argue.  Because if there was one thing Magnus wanted more than going to Atlantis, it was Alec.  

Alec would always be his first choice.

The next morning, Magnus woke with some new marks on his neck and chest and a smile on his face.  While he’d enjoyed his time in Brocelind, there was a dream come true waiting for him on the other side of the ocean.  Or, he assumed it was on the other side of the ocean. Magnus figured it was near the Mediterranean, if not actually in it since all the myths about it came from that region.  Alec knew where he was going so Magnus would follow and trust his lover not to get lost.

“I wish you could just do that portal thing you told me about,” Alec grumbled, still half asleep and clinging to Magnus like a teddy bear.  “I don’t want to swim that far.” 

He was so adorable, Magnus’ heart melted just a little more.  “Darling, if you don’t want to go today, we can stay here. I’m pretty sure if Atlantis has survived two thousand years, it will survive another few days.”  And if it didn’t, then maybe Magnus used all of his luck on finding Alec and falling in love with him. 

Which would have been totally worth it and he would never complain about that for even a day during the rest of his long life.  

“No, we’re going.”  Alec yawned, stretching out so that Magnus could see the line of every muscle, the glint of filtered sunlight on his multicolored scales.  Alexander Lightwood was gorgeous inside and out but right now, Magnus counted his lucky stars that he got to enjoy the beautiful outside whenever he wished.  “Do you want to try and find food here or should we hunt on our way?”

“If you don’t mind catching something for me if I fail at my hunt again, I think we should get something on the way. I’ll admit to being anxious.  I’ve heard about Atlantis for almost as long as I can remember so I can’t wait to see what it is actually like.” After experiencing both Alicante and Brocelind, Magnus’ idea of what an underwater city looked like was quite different than it had been before he joined Alec in the water.  But, this was Atlantis, and even with the knowledge he now had, it was hard to let go of his idea of an underwater Athens. Whatever it was, though, even if it was just like the other two cities they’d already visited, Magnus was happy to go there, just to say he did. 

“You’re getting better with the hunting.  I bet you’ll have it figured out in no time.”  Alec had an impossible amount of confidence in Magnus, certainly more than Magnus had in himself.  He loved the man for it. On land, everyone (with the exception of his dearest friends) thought he had everything together and figured out.  But in actuality, Magnus was just as confused and struggling as anyone else. Doubly so now that he has been thrown into this world he barely understood.  

But Alec got that, he knew that Magnus needed the reassurance sometimes and gave him the confidence to believe that he could eventually be as good a merman as the man he loved.  Magnus hoped he would be able to return the favor for him when they eventually got on land. Most likely Alec would not be super comfortable with the way Magnus lived before him so hopefully, his support would go a long way to helping him acclimate. 

Realizing Alec was staring at him, Magnus smiled and gave him a kiss.  “So, mythical lost city?” Alec nodded in return but instead of taking off and having Magnus chase behind him, Alec took Magnus’ hand and they swam away from the ruined pirate ship that had been their home while in Brocelind and headed out into the Atlantic.  

Despite knowing he was now a merman and wouldn’t drown, there was something deeply unsettling about being out in the middle of the ocean like they were.  Magnus kept towards the surface, even while Alec dove down, insisting that the best fish was down lower. Magnus just didn’t like the murky depths and preferred to stay where the sunlight was still easily visible.  “Magnus, nothing is going to get you. You’re almost at the top of the food chain out here, and with your magic, you are safer than the rest of us. Go get some food and stop being scared.”

“I’m not scared.  I’m cautious. I’m allowed to be on occasion.”  If Ragnor could see him now, he would never let Magnus live this down.  It was for the best that his grumpy best friend didn’t need to know any of this.  “I just don’t want my life to be ended by a giant squid or something. I think I’m happier here where I can see what is coming for me.”

Alec shrugged and dove back down, leaving Magnus alone.  Having been underwater for several days now, Magnus went to the surface for awhile.  The sky was grey and low, a storm probably not far off but from what Alec told him, that was common here.  Not many merfolk crossed this ocean, which was one of the reasons Atlantis was often a place that not even many of their kind visited.  

Watching a few birds fly overhead, Magnus didn’t notice Alec coming back up until he surfaced and wrapped his arms around Magnus’ waist, causing him to scream in fear.  Realizing who it was, Magnus stopped screaming almost immediately and moved to tackle his lover back under the water. “Why would you do that?” he demanded, annoyed at the amusement on Alec’s features. “That was mean!”

“That was funny and you know it,” Alec laughed and Magnus could just picture him and Jace doing the same thing.  “Besides, now you know the thing in this ocean you need to fear the most is me.”

With his heart rate returning to normal, Magnus shook his head, smiling fondly.  “I could never be scared of you. You’re wonderful, even when you’re being a jerk.”  Magnus stole a quick kiss and then darted off in the direction they’d been heading originally.  While Alec might think they had nothing to fear out here, Magnus would feel much better when he could see both the sun and the sea floor once more.

Thankfully, Alec didn’t try to frighten him again and the two of them made good time finishing their trip across the Atlantic.  As the water started to warm, Magnus realized they were getting closer to land once more and his excitement came back ten-fold. “Are we close?” His eyes darted from side to side as if he was going to just stumble upon a lost city that had been hidden from view for two thousand years...at least. 

“Yes, we need to go through the strait and then it will be hidden among some islands.  How the mundanes haven’t found it yet, I don’t know. I’ve only ever been here once and I was too young to ask.”  It was the first time Magnus had a question about their lives that Alec didn’t have an answer for and he found it refreshing.  

“Well, maybe we can figure it out together,” he offered with a smile.

Swimming through the strait was a strange experience, the currents much stronger than he was used to but once they were through, the water grew warm and the fish became more plentiful.  Alec showed him the best ones for dinner and they dined before finishing the swim. Magnus knew where they were, even without having a good idea where Atlantis would be located. He'd been to the Mediterranean enough to recognize some landmarks but he'd never seen it like this.  "Alexander, do you know I used to live here. Not right here, but in France, just north of the sea. It is strange to think I was so close to this and yet so far away."

"We can go to France sometime if you want.  I've never been there but Izzy talks about it a lot.  Apparently, she's heard a lot about it from various sailors as they travel.  Paris is her dream, but she's never been anywhere outside the water, just like me.  Mother never approved of it, said our place was in the water and we shouldn't try to mix with those of the land.  Obviously, she's changed her mind but growing up, we never even went near the beach, even when we knew there was no one there."

It sounded so much like other types of people Magnus knew and he wondered how he and Maryse would have gotten along if they met during that period of her life.  Because while Magnus understood that people often felt like that, he had no tolerance for them and liked to upset the status quo. They probably would have butted heads, even if he knew that her son would be his soul mate someday.  

"I would be happy to take any of you that wish to go.  I bet even Simon hasn't been there, even though he grew up on the land like me.  Without magic, getting to this part of the world is expensive." The idea of the pod in Paris, Magnus trying to explain land culture to those who'd never worn clothes or walked among mundanes before would be hilarious.  And probably exhausting. 

Alec grinned and Magnus made a mental note to do just that.  At least Alec and Isabelle if nothing else. They would probably appreciate it more than any of the others. "But first I want to show you Atlantis."

Their hands linked, Alec wove his way a dozen tiny islands that Magnus guessed were part of the Greek archipelago.  And when he felt the magic caress over his skin he knew they were close. But unlike the wards around Alicante, this was a different kind of magic.  "A portal," he whispered as they came out the other side to the most beautiful place Magnus ever saw. 

Just as it had been in his dreams, Atlantis was a huge city, looking as if ancient Athens had been recreated and placed in the middle of the water.  A large palace stood tall in the middle with so many little buildings and streets spreading out from its base. Freezing where he was, Magnus stared in awe, trying to take in exactly what he was seeing. 

"Alexander," he breathed, unable to pull his eyes away.  This is beautiful. I've...I don't know what to say." Being speechless was a feeling Magnus was not used to and he stared, unblinking at the place in front of him.  "This is exactly what I hoped it would be but never in a million years would I have thought my imagination was correct."   
"Atlantis really was a city of mundanes, once upon a time," Alec explained, coming up behind him to wrap his arms around Magnus' waist.  "Something happened and they moved it to the sea. Some of them became merfolk and the rest drowned. I don't know how it happened or why, only that they are here now and no mundanes have found it since."   
Magnus knew, though.  For once, he figured it out without needing an explanation.  "It's a portal," he repeated from earlier. "We aren't in the same world anymore.  Not technically. They didn't just move the city into the water, they moved it to another dimension.  It's why it has been protected. If we didn't have our own magic, we would have swum right past that without ever knowing there was anything behind."  It was remarkable. The sheer amount of power it must have taken for this to happen, he couldn't even comprehend   
"You're part of the Fair Folk.  Well, we are. That is what this is.  We are in the Seelie Realm. Or at least, the same dimension as the Seelie realm.  A small pocket created from your own magic that cannot be entered without the right magic to allow it to happen."  It made sense, in its own way. If the merfolk were technically Seelies, then they had every right to use the realm, as much as any Seelie on land.  And Magnus would never have heard about it because, before Alec, they had no reason to trust him enough with this sort of secret. Now that he was one of them, Magnus wondered what would happen if he went to visit the Queen again.  Would she greet him as one of her own, or at least as a cousin who should be welcomed and trusted, or would she continue to push him away, his warlock nature more untrustworthy than his new Seelie nature was worthy of trust?

A question for another time, he realized.  

Having some answers now to some of his more pressing questions about this situation, Magnus took off towards Atlantis, wanting to be there, to see everything and to experience it with Alec.  Alec kept pace with him, his own eyes wide with wonder. “I know I said I’d been here before but I forgot just how amazing the place was. Look at that! They have actual homes. It’s like the one you had on that island.  They really did come from the land, didn’t they?”

“It looks like it, darling.  Maybe the ones that survived were the Fair folk like you and me, which means they drowned the mundanes that lived here before.”  And try as he might, Magnus couldn’t find it in himself to be surprised. Because their kind might be beautiful, and magical, and many other things, but they were not  _ kind _ by any measure.  And this only served to prove the point.  “That might actually be where the myth comes from, that the merfolk drown mundanes.  Unless that is actually the case?”

“On the rare occasion,” Alec shrugged, “but always in self-defense.  It’s not like we are out there killing for fun. That is something I believe only the humans do.”  It did seem far more like mundanes than anyone in the Shadow World, werewolves possibly excepted. “I’ve killed a few though never with drowning, and it was always ones who wished to take my scales.  They lived to regret that decision. Well, they regretted it for a few minutes before they died.”

Magnus raised a brow and Alec blushed, “I’m sorry.  You probably didn’t want to know all that.”

“Darling, I want to know everything about you.  And I’ve told you before, I’ve killed people also.  Sometimes, in our world, it is necessary and I will never hold against you anything you had to do in cold blood.  You are alive because of your actions so they were completely justified in my eyes.” Alec smiled, broad and happy and Magnus knew he’d said the right thing.  

Stealing a kiss, the two of them headed for the market, taking in the sights of the city.  When they saw the marketplace filled with people trading, it dawned on Magnus that fish probably couldn’t pass through the portal, which meant that the people of Atlantis had to go fish in the mundane world and then bring it back here to trade and barter with those who must have produced other things that they needed.  “This is a lot like many countries in the mundane world,” Magnus explained to Alec who seemed as fascinated by the commerce as Magnus was. 

“So they don’t just go hunt everything they need?  That’s strange, don’t you think?” For someone who lived his whole life providing everything for his family with his own two hands, Magnus could understand why Alec thought that.  “Other than food, what else do they need?”

Magnus looked at the necklace that still hung around his neck; the token of love from Alec to him when they first realized what they were to one another.  “They need many things. The people of Atlantis obviously have homes that are very different than what the pod lives in. They might want to decorate those homes.  Or they create weapons to keep the society safe. There are lots of things they might want or need, and for those who aren’t as successful at hunting as the rest, this is a way for them to guarantee their families still get everything they need.”

Alec frowned.  His pod didn’t have much in the way of material possessions.  Magnus figured that out almost immediately. So, this was probably a new concept for him while it was one Magnus was very familiar with from the land.  “So, if I wanted to get dinner for you, I would need to have something to trade since there isn’t any hunting around here?”

With a small smile, Magnus held out his palm and one of his rings from home appeared in the palm of his hand.  “Or I can get you dinner this time, darling? What do you say? Let me spoil you for a change.”

“I don’t spoil you.  I make sure you’re fed.  It’s my duty as your mate.”  Alec sounded a little petulant and Magnus couldn’t stop himself from kissing the smile right off his lips.  

Cupping Alec’s cheek, he leaned their foreheads together, “And it is my duty as your mate as well.  But since I can’t hunt well enough yet, at least let me do this. This I can do. It was like this in the country where I grew up when I was still a child.  I’m familiar with the process.”

Alec sighed but eventually nodded and Magnus was giddy at the possibility of doing this for his love.  He was going to say something to that effect when Alec asked, “After this, can we go to your home? I want to see it.  You’ve learned all about mine and I think it’s time I learn about yours, too.”

“I would love that, darling.  But first, can I buy you dinner?”

“Yes, Magnus,” Alec smiled, his blush barely visible but still there.  “I’d like that.”


	5. Brooklyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having explored Alec's world, Magnus is anxious to show Alec his own world, Brooklyn.

If Magnus had his way, they would have stayed in Atlantis forever.  The bustling underwater metropolis combined two of his favorite things; the excitement of a big city and the comfort of being with Alexander.  While he loved the pod and the home they had there, it was nice to be surrounded by other people now. They met a couple new acquaintances during their stay, but no one that could be considered friends.  Magnus found something comforting in being in crowds of people who don’t know you. After being High Warlock for so long, anonymity was a luxury that Magnus hadn’t experienced in a long time.

And while he thought Alec might be uncomfortable in the crowds of Atlantis, he too seemed to be just fine with it, excitedly pulling Magnus along from shop to shop, trying to figure out where some things were found and how others were created.  “I would love to learn how to do some of this stuff. Our home looks so dull comparatively, doesn’t it?” Alec already had several items that they’d managed to barter for that he was looking forward to taking back to Izzy and Maryse, even one for Clary.  He still couldn’t decide on something for the merman in their family, but Magnus assured him they had plenty of time.

“Darling, the pod’s home is wonderful in its own way.  It is comfortable and warm, and most importantly, it is filled with people who love you.  That makes it the best place in the world as far as I am concerned.” And Magnus wasn’t just saying that to make Alec feel better.  He honestly believed that the home they were making for themselves with Alec’s family was one of his favorite places to be.

Appeased, Alec gave him a quick kiss.  “I’m glad you like it. I can’t wait to start living there properly with you.  Hopefully, by then Jace will have learned how to knock.”

“And if not, then he can get a show because I’m not going to refrain from expressing my love for you just because he doesn’t have any sense of personal boundaries.”  Magnus was quite certain he could shock that annoying merman’s sensibilities if given the chance. The only reason he hadn’t tried yet was that he knew it would embarrass Alec and he didn’t want to upset his lover.

Alec shrugged, “Well, it would be his fault if he saw something he didn’t want to because I’m not going to avoid loving you either.”  Magnus chose to believe that if Jace interrupted them one too many times, he would learn his lesson. Whether that was true or not remained to be seen but it was something to test when they finally returned home.  

“How long do you want to stay here?” Magnus asked the thought of home now at the forefront of his mind.  I'm assuming this was the last place you wanted to show me? Or are there other underwater cities I should know about?”  Considering he only knew about one before becoming a merman, it stood to reason that there were far more than he expected.  

Alec shook his head, “There aren’t any others that I know about.  Doesn’t mean they don’t exist but these are the only three I’ve visited and ever heard anyone speak of.  But there are other places I’d like to show you, though it doesn’t have to be now. We have forever.”

Magnus watched, fascinated, as Alec spoke so freely about their future together.  An eternity with the man he loved? Magnus couldn’t think of anything better than that.  While he’d hoped for it in the centuries before he met Alec, he never fully let himself believe he would find someone who wanted him the way Magnus wanted them.  To have Alec, this beautiful man who loved him in return, it was a dream come true and Magnus was overcome with a desire to share with Alec the way Alec had shared with him.  

“Can I take you somewhere?  Do you mind going on land with me?”  The plan was half-formed, more of an idea than anything else but Magnus loved the idea of showing Alec his favorite places the way Alec had shared his own.  

His lover looked concerned for a moment before nodding, “I suppose that is fair.  I want to see the way you lived before me. And you gave up everything to be with me.  It seems the least I could do to see your world.”

Magnus shook his head, smiling, “I didn’t give up much.  I gave up material possessions and a job that didn’t pay nearly as well as I would have liked.  What I gained in return was so much more. Besides, I can still go home whenever I choose, so it isn’t like I’m cut off completely from the world I spent hundreds of years in.”  

The grin on his face got even wider as Magnus realized they really were going to do this.  He was going to take Alec to Brooklyn. He would show him the loft and introduce his friends.  Sure, there would be some culture shock but Magnus could always portal them back to the water if necessary.  But he thought Alec’s natural curiosity would win out over any fear he might have of the walking world.

"I want to go, Magnus.  That's what I'm trying to say.  Even if you don't feel like you gave up much, I do.  So I want to see where you come from. I want to meet your friends and family.  Please, I want to know the man that I love and that means learning about your past as well as your present and future."  Alec's eyes looked so hopeful, Magnus wouldn't have said no at that moment, even if he wanted to.

But he did want to because, if he was being truthful, he did miss his family.  And he wanted them to meet Alec and wanted their approval. Or at least Dot and Cat's approval.  Getting it from Raphael and Ragnor would be nearly impossible.

"Alright, Alexander.  I'd like to take you to Brooklyn.  We can go to the other places I've lived some other time.  Right now, I think the most important one was the last one I lived in."  It was where he still had a home, where most of his friends lived, and where he worked.  It was the best place to start.

Alec frowned, "That's where Simon is from, too, right?  Brooklyn?"

They'd talked about it before and Alec knew the answer but Magnus indulged him all the same.  "Yes, Sherwin is from the same borough as me. But I don't think we will see him there. Last we knew, he was happily at home with Jace and the family.  And if we do see him, we pretend we have no idea who he is and keep walking."

That answer seemed to appease Alec who grinned brightly and nodded.  Magnus just rolled his eyes and chuckled, "He isn't as bad as you think, darling. He's actually quite sweet."

"I know he is.  But he never stops talking.  I'm pretty sure he talks in his sleep as well.  How Jace manages to get any rest, I'll never know."

Magnus bit his lip to stop from laughing at that, "Well, at least you don't have to deal with him most of the time.  And if his sleep talking gets to be an issue, I'm sure we could move to one of the other caves and no one would question it."  Feeling LIke Alec was finally satisfied, Magnus took his hand, dragging him back into the city. While he knew they could come back whenever they wanted, he wanted to enjoy this time together right now.  "When do you want to go to Brooklyn, darling? It's almost spring there, so the weather should be lovely but it almost too early for tourist season, so it will be slightly less crowded than it would be the rest of the year.  But make no mistake, it will be more people than you've ever been around before. At least, I'm guessing. It doesn't sound like you spend a lot of time around humans."

Alec shook his head, "No, I avoid them and their cities.  Izzy and Jace were always the more adventurous. I mean, that's how Jace met Simon after all.  I never saw the point. Maybe if I had gone with them at one of those times, I would have met you earlier."

“Darling, I met you at exactly the right time.  You came into my life at the point I needed you the most.  When I was ready to give up on love, you were there. And yes, I cast a spell to make that happen but it doesn’t change the fact that I met you when I did, and I don’t think anything could have been more perfect than that.”  Maybe there really was a plan out there in the universe. Or maybe it was that Magnus finally got desperate enough to do something that would have been considered stupid otherwise.

The smile that pulled at Alec’s lips warmed Magnus’ heart.  “I was so mad at you before I met you. My life was just fine and then someone or something forced me away from it.  I planned to just kill you. I’m rather glad I didn’t.”

“I think you would have found it a challenge but, for what it is worth, I’m glad you didn’t also.”  They grinned at each other, and Magnus thanked the heavens and his magic for bringing them together.  

Their time in Atlantis coming to an end, they got some fish at the market that neither of them had tried before and retired to their rented room to eat and watch the lights come on throughout the city.  Magnus knew enough about biology to recognize bioluminescence but knowing about it and experiencing it first hand were two very different things. Their first night there, it had been magical, watching each of the buildings light up like nothing either of them had ever seen.  “I’m going to miss this the most,” Alec whispered, wrapping an arm around Magnus’ waist.

“Just wait until you see the lights of Brooklyn, darling.  Not quite as magical but far brighter and in many different shades.”  It struck him that he was actually taking Alec home, was going to take a merman onto the streets of New York.  His life was so strange.

Wonderful, but strange.

In the morning, they both woke late arms and tails tangled together, as they did almost every morning.  Alec’s hair tickled his nose and Magnus smiled. In the water, their height difference meant almost nothing.  It wasn’t a large difference on land either but it was at least noticeable. Here, there was nothing to stop Magnus from being slightly above Alec and being able to cuddle his love against his chest.  

"Morning," Alec mumbled, voice rough and words slurred as he struggled to wake up completely.  

Magnus always found him adorable like this.  "Good morning to you too, Sleeping Beauty. You slept well?"

"I always sleep well with you next to me."  And while they hadn't been together for very long, the idea that he made Alec more comfortable than anything else in the seven seas warmed his heart.  Magnus felt the same way about Alec so it was important to him that Alec felt like that with him.

Slowly they unwound themselves from each other, stretching out their bodies and getting ready for the day.  "If we are going into Brooklyn, my suggestion would be to find someplace where we can go on land, so I can magic us some clothes before we portal to the city.  I mean, we could just portal to my loft but if we do that, I'm taking you to bed and you are never seeing any of the city except through my bedroom window." Their bedroom window?  Might as well be, he decided. Even if Alec had never been there before, what was Magnus' was now Alec's, so he looked forward to sharing everything, including the space he'd called home for almost fifty years.

"Okay.  There is an isolated coast not far from here.  We can go on land there and there shouldn't be much chance of seeing any humans.  I can't believe I have to wear clothes, though. They're so uncomfortable."

"I certainly don't want you walking around the streets of New York without any clothes on.  One, because I don't want anyone else to see you like that. And two, because I would rather not have to break you out of jail when you get arrested for indecent exposure."  Magnus could only imagine that, trying to explain things to the cops about why his boyfriend wasn't wearing clothes. No, he'd just portal Alec out but it was best not to risk it at all.

Alec made a face, one Magnus had seen enough but still wasn't sure what it meant.  "I don't understand why humans are so concerned about nudity. You don't see merpeople swimming around in clothes to cover our bodies.  They're perfectly natural."

"Trust me, darling, your body is a work of art and it is a shame to cover it.  However, that is how humans are and if they see a naked man on the streets of Brooklyn, they will not be happy.  But, also, they can't adjust to the temperature as well as we can. The cold and the heat affects them a lot more so clothes help them regulate that."  

Watching as his lover considered that, Alec eventually nodded.  "That makes a lot more sense than them hiding parts of their body because some are more offensive than others.  I mean, I've seen my entire family without clothes, including the ones I'm not related to. It isn't a big thing, but when he first came to join us, it was obvious how uncomfortable Simon was with the whole thing.  I came close to punching him when I saw him staring at Izzy's body too long."

Magnus couldn't imagine anything actually happening between Simon and Izzy.  He was clearly, deeply in love with Jace, but Magnus understood Alec's discomfort.

Still, he felt the need to defend Simon.  "Darling, if he feels for Jace even half of what I feel for you, there is no way he was looking at your sister with any real sort of interest.  I think it is more likely that he was just a little shocked. Trust me, when you live in Brooklyn, seeing a bunch of naked people all the time is unheard of.  To be with a group that doesn't care about nudity, it will take both of us some time to get used to it. I will probably become accustomed to it long before Sherwin does, but I don't think either your brother or your sister has anything to worry about in terms of that boy, I promise."

Alec smiled, "I know.  I mean, logically I know.  But she's my sister and I still feel like I need to defend her."

"I'm sure she appreciates that," Magnus laughed.  "But I also know that your sister can defend herself.  I've seen her hunt. She is intense. Anyone who came up against her would meet their end very quickly."  Magnus respected that. He had many friends over the course of his life who were strong women who could easily take out anyone that challenged them.  Because of this, he already knew that he would get along just fine with Izzy, Maryse, and Clary. It would be fun to introduce them to Cat and Dot some time, he mused before shaking his head to draw attention back to the present.

"So you can lead us somewhere we can get dry and get dressed?  If you do that, I'll take care of everything else to get us to Brooklyn."  It would be strange to be dressed after several weeks without clothes, but Magnus had always prided himself on his fashion sense and was looking forward to showing off some of his favorite outfits to Alec.  

Alec nodded and took his hand.  "We can hunt on the way. I don't think we need to try and get food while we are here, do we?"  He didn't really wait for an answer, already leading Magnus away from the place that had been their home for the time in Atlantis.

Approaching the wards around the city, Magnus felt the familiar buzz of Seelie magic and shivered slightly as he went through it. Other magic always felt slightly foreign to him but this wasn't as bad, maybe because he was a merman now, and therefore part of the Seelie court, if only indirectly.  

Once outside the shielded space of Atlantis, the water felt different.  There wasn't the all-consuming sense of power that kept the city hidden and the sense of belonging that he felt while they were in the city.  Magnus loved it there and hoped that they might move to Atlantis for awhile at some point in their lives. It would be fun to experience the city life as a citizen and not just a tourist.

"Food now or do you want to get me food when we get to Brooklyn?" Alec asked, pulling Magnus from his thoughts.  

As tempted as he was to take Alec to every restaurant in New York, he didn't know how his lover's body was going to react to the richer food from the land.  "We should probably eat here. We will have plenty of time to eat in Brooklyn once we get there."

After doing just that, Alec led them to a secluded beach where they had the time to dry themselves properly and get dressed.  Magnus chose black jeans, a maroon t-shirt, some boots and a leather jacket for Alec while he summoned clothes from his own wardrobe in the loft.  Judging by the sharp intake of breath from Alec once Magnus was fully dressed and ready, he chose the outfit well.

"Is that how you always dress when you are on land?" Alec asked breathlessly, running his hands down the fine brocade of Magnus' waistcoat.  "When I met you, you were only wearing some shorts, so I didn't realize..."

Flattered by Alec's enjoyment of his clothes, Magnus shrugged, "Well, I was on vacation on a deserted island where I thought I was literally the only person in any direction for fifty miles at least.  I didn't think there was anyone I had to impress. If I knew I was meeting my soulmate that day, I would have dressed better."

"I like you without clothes the best," Alec murmured, still mesmerized.  "But I like this. Does everyone dress like that? And if so, why am I dressed like this?"

He chuckled, "Not many people dress like me, darling.  Many, many more look like you. That is why I chose your clothes.  With your height, you are going to stand out no matter what, so I thought you would like clothes that helped you blend in a little better.  If you would like something more like what I am wearing, I am happy to do that for you?"

Alec quickly shook his head and Magnus barely restrained himself from laughing.  "No, I don't want people to look at me. But they're going to look at you because you are like art. Like one of those sculptures in Atlantis."

While Alec was usually the one in their relationship who blushed, this time it was Magnus' turn.  "You flatter me, darling. I tend to think the same of you. You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen in or out of the sea.  But, if we stand here all day complimenting each other, we will never get to New York. Are you ready?"

He looked uncertain but Alec still nodded.  "Yes, I'm ready."

Magnus opened the portal to his home, his heart beating hard at the excitement of going back to Brooklyn for the first time since Valentine's Day.  Taking his lover's hand, he led Alec through the portal. Alec's hand tensed in his own and he held tight.

A moment later, they emerged on the other side and the difference was striking.  No longer were they in the almost silence of the beach, the waves, and seabirds the only sound to be heard.  Now, the din of New York echoed all around them, even where they were in a secluded alley off one of the streets.  Alec started to tremble and Magnus turned him to look him in his eyes. "Darling, if at any point this is too much, tell me and we are gone.  I want you happy more than anything else."

"I want to do this.  Just, stay close, okay?"  It's a lot louder than I expected here."  

If Magnus was being honest it was a lot louder than he expected too and he'd lived there for almost a  hundred years. But in his time away, it seemed he'd grown used to the relative quiet of the sea. Here, there was so much and it felt like it came from everywhere.  "I am not letting go of you, darling. I'll be right there by your side the whole time."

When Alec nodded, the two of them walked to the entrance of the alley and stepped out onto the sidewalk on a crisp New York morning.  "There are so many people, Magnus," Alec whispered. And it was true. This sidewalk probably held more people than all of Alicante, Brocelind, and Atlantis combined.  But it was home and Magnus was quickly getting his bearings.

"I know, darling.  You should come here during the busier parts of the year.  Most of the people you see are the ones who live here. The tourists won't start coming en masse for another month or two.  I've always found those to be good weeks to get out of town for a little while." Not that the tourists really bothered him.  Business was up at Pandemonium every time, and Magnus certainly couldn't complain about that. Very few of the people coming to the city knew anything about the Shadow World so he didn't have an uptick in warlocks getting in trouble.  So mainly he stayed at home or went to his club to people watch.

"How do you feel about going dancing sometime?" Magnus asked, a bright smile lighting up his face at the mere thought.  He would need to check in on the place eventually and it would be fun to show Alec all of his life before the sea. Pandemonium was a big part of that.

Alec, for his part, looked unconvinced.  "Can you show me how to dance first? And then we can go if I am comfortable with that?"

Readily agreeing to those terms, Magnus nodded.  If Alec didn't want to go, he'd introduce his lover to his friends and he could check on Pandemonium while they told him all the stupid things Magnus has done over his life.  Everyone would win except for Magnus who would have to deal with the embarrassment. But he trusted Alec not to laugh at him.

Too much.

They walked hand in hand down the streets.  Alec's eyes were wide, taking in everything as his head whipped from side to side, up and down.  "The buildings go all the way to the clouds. Have you ever been up there?" he asked breathlessly.  "I've been in fog before but I didn't think humans could go to the clouds like that. Can we?"

"Of course we can, darling.  I'll take you to the tallest building we can get into and you will be higher than any merman in the history of the world.  Though, with your height, you might be already." Alec's smile at that made Magnus certain he'd made the right choice.

The catch was, what building?  Most of them were closed to the public.  But, in the end, he realized there was really only one choice.  "Okay, it's not the tallest but it is the most important. At least in my opinion.  How does that sound, Alexander?"

"I trust you, Magnus.  Whatever you think is best, I'm happy to go along."  

When was the last time someone had that kind of faith in him, trusting that he would not let them down in any way?  He knew someday, he would probably do something that hurt Alec but when that happened, he would do everything he could to fix it.  "It's a bit of a walk. Do you want to take a cab, the subway, or just portal there?"

At the vacant expression on Alec's face, Magnus realized he should probably explain a little more.  "Cabs are those yellow cars all over the place. You get in, tell the driver where you want to go and they take you there.  The subway is an underground train that only goes to certain places. Sometimes you have to get off and change to a different one if you want to get to your destination.  And, well, you know my portals."

"Portal, definitely," Alec said without hesitation and Magnus smiled.  They'd only walked a few blocks so it was easy enough to dart into another alley.  "These are convenient," Alec muttered as soon as they were out of the main traffic.  "Do they make these just for people to travel by portal? Or hide from the crowds?"

"Honestly, my love, I'm not sure.  It isn't the thing about portals because some of these alleys have been around for longer than portals have been invented.  Plus, most of the residents of New York don't even know that portals are an option. I think alleys are just spaces between buildings with no real purpose.  But that doesn't mean we can utilize them as necessary."

He opened the portal and walked through with Alec, their hands clasped together once more.  Losing his lover to the void was not the way Magnus wanted to spend their first trip to New York.

Stepping from one noisy part of the city to another was less disorienting and they fell into step together almost immediately after the portal snapped shut.  

"Welcome, Alexander, to the Empire State Building."  This building had been one of his favorites ever since it was built.  Magnus loved watching movies set in New York because there was almost always a scene on the observation deck, with the city spread out below.  Forget all the restaurants and date locations. The Empire State Building was the most romantic destination in all of the city.

They got in the queue for the elevator, which seemed to terrify Alec more than anything else they'd done so far.  He should have realized putting his free-roaming merman in a confined space hurtling up away from the ground might have been a little disorienting for him.  His hand squeezed Magnus' so tight, Magnus worried about his circulation. But thankfully the ride was short and soon enough, the elevator dinged, telling them they'd arrived.  Everyone else filed out, with Magnus and Alec following. 

Magnus tried to keep his smile under control, hoping Alec was going to like this as much as he expected.  As they stepped out onto the observation deck and Alec saw the city for the first time, the absolute awe that took over his face stole Magnus' breath from his lungs.  Alec was always beautiful, but right now, he was something else entirely.

At that moment, it didn't matter to Magnus how long they'd been together or hadn't been together.  Nothing mattered except for how much he loved this man in front of him. He knew what he needed to do.

Alec turned to him, his smile bright and eyes sparkling, "We're in the clouds.  Jace is never going to believe me. Mom is never going to believe me." He was so happy, he was so beautiful, Magnus stepped forward and kissed him, not caring how many people were around them.  

"I love you, Alexander.  I love you so much."

Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus' waist and kissed him again.  "I love you too, Magnus. Thank you for bringing me here."

The two of them traded kisses, lost in the moment together.  Magnus was the one to finally step back. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a ring from his jewelry box at the loft.  He'd never given it much thought but now, it was perfect. "When you chose me, you gave me this necklace. I was happy to accept it and will wear it from now until the end of time.  Mundanes have a similar tradition. When they find the one that they love and want to spend their lives with, they give the one of their desire a ring. It symbolizes their unending love and affection for one another."

Getting down on one knee, Magnus heard the gasps of people all around them, the telltale sound of camera shutters as people took pictures of them.  "Alexander, you are the love of my life and there is no one I would rather spend the rest of eternity with. Will you accept this ring? Will you accept me, flaws and all, to be your husband and mate, your partner in life from now until the end of time?"

While the tradition was foreign to Alec, Magnus could tell the emotion behind it was still there.  Alec pulled him up and kissed him. "Yes, of course, I will. You know I will. You are everything to me, Magnus."

"As you are everything to me."

They kissed for a few minutes more while the crowd clapped for them and then went their separate ways.

"I know there is a lot of the city still to see, but I was thinking we could go home.  Because I would very much like to celebrate our engagement in bed," Magnus smirked."

Alec readily nodded and they made their way to the elevator.  New York could wait. First, they were going home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Magnus wasn't supposed to propose in this. But apparently, the headstrong warlock had other ideas. So, guess what? They're engaged! LOL


	6. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus has met Alec's family. Now it's only fair for Alec to do the same.

Alec’s fascination with New York was dimmed now, interested in something far more specific.   The two of them stumbled through the portal into the loft, attached by lips and hands, unwilling to be separated for even a second.  “Alexander,” Magnus murmured against his lips, torn between wanting to show off his home and wanting to get his lover into bed as soon as possible.

"Magnus," Alec whispered in return, a benediction falling from kiss-swollen lips.  Their human clothes were suddenly an imposition, the first time they'd had to undress each other.  Magnus had always enjoyed undressing lovers in the past but now that he knew the joy of being with someone who was not impeded by clothing in any way, right now, he just wanted them gone.

His magic, already a little haywire due to happiness and desire, acceded to his thoughts almost immediately, sending their clothes to Lilith knew where.  It didn't matter. He would find them later. Right now, his lover, his soul mate, his fiance was naked in his arms and they were only a few steps from sharing his bed for the first time.  The significance of the moment was not lost on Magnus, though Alec didn't seem to care one way or another. There was no hesitation in his movements, just gentle kisses, and harsh bites, hands grappling for anything he could get purchase on.  "Darling, darling," Magnus grinned, opening the door to his bedroom with magic as they stumbled through. "We have all the time in the world. No one knows we are here. We can take our time." They would meet his friends later. They would see the rest of the city another day.  They could spend the rest of the day and night worshipping each other's bodies and celebrating yet another way they would announce to the world that this, Magnus and Alec, was here to stay.

Alec relaxed and stepped back to look at him.  "Every time I see you like this, I realize how lucky I am," he sighed.  "You're beautiful Magnus. I love you."

"I love you, too, darling."  

Laying Alec down on the bed, Magnus followed him onto the satin sheets, enraptured by Alec's golden skin against the deep red color.  He expected that perhaps if Alec wore clothes all the time, he would be less golden and paler, but as it was, Magnus thought his love practically glowed with sun-kissed skin and muscles to die for.  

Alec wrapped his hand around the back of Magnus' neck and pulled him in for a deep kiss, their bodies slotting together in a way that brought pleasure to them both.  Soft gasps came from each, quickly swallowed by their lover's mouth.

For hours, the two of them used hands and lips, hips and magic to bring the other to the pinnacle of pleasure and back down once more.  Over and over until they were both too tired to do anything but hold one another and share kisses. "Mundanes have a good idea with beds," Alec muttered against Magnus' neck, pulling a startled laugh from his chest.  "If they were feasible in the water, I would suggest we get one for home."

"We always have the island, Alexander.  Or here in the loft. We can sleep in a bed whenever you like.  But I rather like sleeping in the water, wrapped close to one another.  It feels safer than any blanket ever." Magnus yawned, Alec following a moment later and they both chuckled as Magnus' magic extinguished the lights.  "Get some sleep, Alec. In the morning, I would like to introduce you to my family. You will need the energy to keep up with Madzie and to put up with Raphael and Ragnor.  Trust me."

"I trust you with my life, Magnus," Alec said sincerely as he drifted off as if he hadn't said something so unheard of and romantic that Magnus laid awake for an hour afterward, thinking about how wonderful his fiance really was.

Magnus woke late the next morning, a little concerned when he found himself in an empty bed.  He and Alec almost always woke up together and the only times Alec left before he was up was when he needed to go hunting.  But as there was no hunting to do in New York, he couldn't imagine what would have pulled him from the bed.

He got up, wrapping a robe around his himself and moved through the house, looking for Alec among all the rooms of his loft.  It felt strange to be back here after so long away but there was a contentment deep in his bones as Magnus smiled, peeking into his apothecary and guest room.  It was home, even if his real home was with Alexander now.

Finding Alec in the living room, Magnus stepped up beside him and rested his head on his lover's shoulder.  "Find something interesting?" he asked, looking at the picture Alec had in his hands.

"You've always been very beautiful," Alec muttered and Magnus blushed a little at the compliment.  "How long ago was this?"

The picture was of him with both Ragnor and Camille.  He'd been so happy that night, just before Camille broke his heart and laughed at his pain.  It was the night he'd sworn off love and managed just that until his drunken decision to cast the soul mate spell led him to Alexander.  "It was over a hundred years ago. Probably the last time I have a photo of myself where I am smiling. I stopped smiling after that night, for many, many years."

"Why?  Who are the people in this photo with you?  Did they hurt you?"

Magnus chuckled at Alec's possessive and protective tone and patted his arm.  "That is Ragnor Fell, my oldest friend and someone who is always there for me, even if he likes to pretend he doesn't care.  You will meet him later. He is with Raphael, who you will meet as well. Ragnor is a warlock like myself, while Raphael is a vampire."  His eyes went back to the photo, "As is the woman right there. That is Camille. Before you, I thought she was the love of my life until she took to sleeping with half the men in London and laughing when I got upset."

Alec growled and Magnus took the photo from his hands before his grip broke the glass and Alec hurt himself.  “Darling, I haven’t seen her in decades and never wish to see her again. Yes, she hurt me, but I am over it now.  And more important than any of that, I have you now. And even if I wasn’t over her when we met, I would have forgotten her name the moment I laid eyes on you.  What I felt for Camille is completely eclipsed by my love for you, Alexander. Please, don’t be jealous.”

Alec look startled and shook his head, “I’m not jealous.  You asked me to marry you and you accepted my token. I know you love me.”

“So why?” Magnus asked, confused.

“Because she hurt you.  Even if it was a hundred years ago, she had your love and she threw it away.  That anyone would be so careless with your heart, I don’t understand. You deserve the best, not just some cold vampire who didn’t know how good she had it.”

Tears pricked at Magnus’ eyes.  Even after these weeks with Alec, he wasn’t used to being loved so fiercely. “Alexander, you are...  You are something else. I love you, darling.”

“And I love you, Magnus. Forever. Nothing - no vampire, no meddling or annoying family, _nothing_ \- will pull me away from you.”  

Magnus didn’t think he could be blamed for backing Alec against a wall and kissing him senseless.  

After a pleasurable ten minutes of them pressed against one another that ended with them calling out one another's names and collapsing to the ground in an undignified flop, Alec giggled against Magnus' neck.  "I was going to make you breakfast. That's why I got up. But then I saw the pictures of you and I got curious. So, no breakfast."   
Not that Magnus cared.  He could magic up something for them to eat without any real issue.  It was what he'd planned on doing anyway. He didn't even think Alec knew how to cook.  "What were you going to make for breakfast?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to dampen his lover's enthusiasm but still concerned about what sort of disaster might have befallen his kitchen had Alec not gotten distracted.   
"I was going to figure out where to hunt and bring something back for you.  Isn't that how everyone gets breakfast?" his wide, guileless eyes warmed Magnus' heart.  he was so strong, a ferocious hunter and fighter in the ocean but right here, he was this sweet, innocent man who was in a world he didn't understand.     
Magnus kissed the tip of his nose, "Not exactly darling.  Most mundanes don't hunt for their food. There are still some that do, but most just buy the food they need."   
"Like in Atlantis?"   
He nodded, "Exactly.  though, most of the food you get up here has to be cooked.  Very few eat their food raw." Plants could be an exception but Magnus had no intention of going into differences in cuisine, preparation, and all of that.  If they spent more time on land, Alec would figure it out.   
"Cooked with fire?"  And it dawned on Magnus that maybe Alec had never really encountered fire before.  It would be difficult living in the ocean, after all.   
"Not really.  They've found ways around needing the fire because it can be very dangerous.  The way they have now, you only really get fire if you make a mistake."

Hoping to reassure Alec and to teach him a little about how people on the land lived, he took his lover's hand and led him to the kitchen.  "Now, sit your cute ass up on the counter and watch. I'll teach you how to make eggs. An omelet to be precise." It was one of those foods that were endlessly customizable, so once Alec learned the basics, he could get much more creative when he wanted to take over.  

Alec did as he was told, impossibly long legs hanging off the edge of the counter as he grinned at Magnus.  "Darling, do you know how distracting you are? So beautiful. But, do you mind if I put some clothes on your really quick?  Just pajama pants. Because otherwise, I'm not going to be able to concentrate and we really will have a fire to deal with."

His lover nodded and Magnus snapped his fingers dressing him simply in some soft cotton pants.  Alec jumped slightly and Magnus chuckled. "Sorry my love, I should have warned you." Stepping between Alec's legs, Magnus pressed soft kisses to his cheek and lips.  "Now, let me show you how I cook."

Thankful for the times he'd forced himself to sit down and learn the most basic of dishes, Magnus now put his limited culinary expertise to work in teaching Alec a few things about the kitchen.  "Why do they cook everything? Wouldn't it just be easier for them to eat it the way it was made? I don't understand what the point of cooking is."

It had taken Magnus several days to get used to the raw fish diet Alec and his family lived on.  Once he told himself it wasn't any different than sashimi, it was much easier to get in the habit.  He understood why they didn't cook anything, as heat was difficult to come by underwater. But trying to explain to his lover who ate nothing but raw food why most humans didn't like it that way was more challenging than he'd originally considered.  

"Most humans find that food tastes better if it is cooked.  They can add other flavors to them based on how they cook the food.  Also, their bodies are far more susceptible to diseases, especially the ones they can get from food that is uncooked.  Cooking keeps them safer. That might be why they started to cook in the first place. Contrary to what some people think, I haven't been alive forever.”

Magnus ate more raw food when he was young, but it was a different time and nothing was processed the way it was now.  There was little concern about their food making them too sick because they knew everything that was in it.

Now, he was still getting used to the raw fish but his stomach accepted it well enough.  Hopefully the same could be said for Alec and his breakfast.

He cracked the eggs while Alec watched and slowly walked him through the steps of making the omelet and other than having to slap Alec's hand away when he kept stealing handfuls of the cheese - who knew merman liked cheese? - the cooking went off without a hitch.  Soon enough, Magnus served their food at the table and invited Alec to join him.

The next catch came when Alec encountered cutlery for the first time.  Magnus picked up his knife and fork, taking his first bite when he noticed Alec picked up the whole omelet and was eating it like they did fish.  "Oh, am I supposed to use that?" he asked, still not putting the food down.

"When we go out, that would be for the best, but here in our home, you can eat your food however you like."  There were bound to be some growing pains as they adjusted and Magnus wasn't going to fault Alec for not knowing all the customs of Magnus' people just as Magnus didn't know all the customs of his.  "Would it be alright if I invited my friends over for dinner? We'll get a pizza and some beer and just hang out. I want you to get to know them in a relaxed atmosphere and while I know Ragnor would prefer some stuffy restaurant, it will be a lot more fun for all of if we were here, with no pressure."

"That is one of the reasons we are here, is it not?" Alec asked.  "I want to meet them, so if you think ordering the pizza and staying here is the way to do it, then I believe you."  Magnus hadn't spent much time with the pod since joining Alec. Their days there were very short before they took off on this around the world trip to all of their favorite places.  He realized that he didn't know how the pod greeted guests. He arrived as the mate of one of their own. Magnus doubted that others received a welcome quite like his. But maybe they did, and he was just confused.

"Perfect.  I'll send them all messages and invite them over.  I can't wait for you to meet them." What they would do for the rest of the day, Magnus didn't know but at least they had their night sorted out.

They finished eating, Magnus eventually showing Alec how to use the silverware and the two of them laughing about how inconvenient it really was.  Magnus had to agree. The merfolk way of doing things was much faster if a bit messier.

By the time they were done eating and the dishes were cleaned up, Alec was back in front of the bookshelves, looking at the pictures, books, and various bric-a-brac Magnus had accumulated over his years.  The morning and early afternoon were spent with Magnus explaining the significance of various things and Alec listening to his stories with rapt fascination. As the sun began to warm the patio outside his home, by mid-afternoon, they'd stripped off their clothes and were lying in the sun side by side.  

Or that was how it started.  

"You're beautiful like this, you know that?" Magnus whispered to Alec who blushed and looked away for a moment before turning back to meet Magnus' gaze with a heated one of his own.  "I prefer you in your natural state but seeing you like this..." Magnus couldn't finish that thought as anything else he planned to say was swallowed by Alec's mouth on his own.

Neither of them could really keep their hands off the other so after a quick spell to keep anyone from other buildings accidentally seeing what was going on out there, they passed the afternoon in a far more enjoyable way, eventually drifting off, sated and sweaty in the sunshine.  Magnus didn't know if they would have woken in time if his phone hadn't chimed with a message from Catarina.

"Cat, Dot, and Madzie are on their way over," he explained, sitting up and stretching out the stiff muscles that were complaining about the nap on the hard surface of his patio.  A beach, it was not. "We should probably get dressed because while I quite like you like this, I think the rest of them might be a little put out if they walk in on us without clothes."

Alec muttered something about prudish landfolk and stood, unapologetically nude and made his way back into the apartment.  Magnus loved seeing him so comfortable there and hurried to catch up, resigning himself to only a few chaste kisses for fear that they would lose themselves in one another again and forget about their company altogether.    

By the time Cat and Dot portalled in with their daughter, both men were dressed and presentable.  Pizza was ordered already so Magnus could spend the evening introducing the man he loved to the family he'd chosen for himself all those years ago.    
"Catarina, Dorothea, I would like you to meet Alexander.  Alexander, these two beautiful women may as well be my sisters, Cat and Dot."  He hugged each of them and then scooped Madzie up in his arm. And this beautiful young woman is their daughter and my favorite niece, Madzie."   
"I'm your only niece, Magnus," Madzie grinned and he had to concede that point.   
Chuckling, he kissed her forehead, "That is true but it wouldn't change anything.  You are the best and no one could be better. Madzie, I'd like you to meet my fiance, Alec.  Alec and I are going to get married and live in the ocean. He's a merman."   
Her eyes lit up and she scrambled out of his arms to pull Alec down to her own level.  "Are you really? Like Ariel?"   
"I'm not sure who Ariel is, but yes, I'm a merman.  And my whole family are merfolk too." He glanced up at Magnus who smiled warmly at him.  "Do you like the ocean, Madzie?"

Magnus nearly melted at the scene unfolding in front of him and from the looks of things, Cat and Dot were feeling the same way.  Madzie and Alec, completely unaware of everyone watching them, just kept talking to one another.

"I love fish!  I'm like a fish!  Nana said so and so do Mama and Mommy."  Her excitement was contagious and Madzie bounced on her toes as she talked.  "I want to swim with you and Uncle Magnus! Nana used to call me a mermaid because of these."  

Her two mothers and Magnus were both shocked when she pulled off her scarf to show Alec her gills.  Madzie was always shy about people seeing her mark, having learned far too young that they made her different from other children her age.  No matter how much her family told her they were beautiful because they were part of her, Madzie insisted on keeping them hidden.

However, here she was, voluntarily showing them off to someone she'd only just met.  She smiled shyly at Alec and Magnus watched them with a warm heart.

"I have those too," Alec explained, and much to everyone's surprise, his gills opened up on his neck before fitting back against his skin, nearly invisible unless you were looking for them.  Magnus saw them every time he looked at Alec, but he knew every inch of the merman's body, so that wasn't much of a shock,

Madzie squealed in excitement and threw her arms around his neck, giving Alec a hug.  "No one else has them. Just me! And you! We are the same!"

Dabbing at the corners of her eyes, Magnus understood the emotions that had to be rolling through Cat.  He knew her better than almost anyone in the world and he knew how much her daughter meant to her. Seeing Madzie connect with someone like that, so quickly and so completely, it wasn't something any of them expected for several more decades considering the amount of pain her first few years of life contained.

"Actually," Alec was saying, "your Uncle Magnus also has them.  He might not know how to make them come out but I've seen them. He looks very pretty with them, just like you.  But I think Magnus is pretty all the time." Alec's eyes met Magnus' and the love in his heart at that moment threatened to burst out like a supernova.

Dot elbowed him in the ribs and Magnus realized he was probably staring at Alec with a sappy, lovesick expression.  "I love you, darling. And you are very pretty too. Though, I think we can all agree that Madzie is the prettiest one in the room."

Her eyes went from one adult to the other and Magnus got the impression that she was sizing them all up.  Finally, she shook her head, "We are all pretty. Mama is pretty and Mommy is pretty. Uncle Magnus is pretty and so are you, Uncle Alec!"  She hugged him again and now there wasn't anyone with a dry eye. "And Madzie is the prettiest," she laughed, kissing his cheek before running off to the room that contained all the toys and books she kept at his loft for when she spent the night with him.  

"So, that went well," Cat laughed, watery but delighted.  "I think she has a new favorite person in the world. Congratulations, Alec.  You're now even better than Big Bird."

"I don't know who this big bird is, but I agree that mermen are better than birds."  Alec pushed himself back up to standing, staring at the two women in front of him. "Your daughter is lovely.  You must be very proud of her."

"We are," Dot smiled.  "It is a pleasure to meet you, Alec.  Anyone who could steal Magnus' heart the way you did and still keep that smile on his face is someone we will happily welcome into our family."  

Magnus wrapped an arm around Alec's waist and kissed his cheek just as another portal opened.  Ragnor and Raphael stepped into the room. "Magnus, I thought you told me we were going to be rid of you.  And yet, here you are back in Brooklyn less than a month after you left. I'd been hoping for at least a couple years of peace and quiet before I had to see your face again."

Alec bristled beside him but Magnus patted his chest, a silent message that it was okay and he didn't need to defend him, particularly from these two.  "You know I can't stay away from you for too long, my dear cabbage. And my darling Alexander needed to see just the type of family he is marrying into."

It was the second time he'd referenced their engagement since Cat and Dot arrived but Raphael was the first one to respond to it.  "Marry? Dios, Magnus. You've only known him a month."

"You and Ragnor were practically married after your first conversation on the phone.  I love Alec, he loves me. We already know that we will spend the rest of our lives together, so I don't see why we shouldn't get married as well."  

He expected someone else to argue with him, to tell him that he was being foolish or rash.  Instead, his quiet merman was the one who stood up to them all. "My kind, when we fall in love it is with everything we have.  We only love once, fiercely and without hesitation. I loved Magnus before the sun set on our first night together. I will love him until the sun burns out in the sky.  It doesn't matter if I have only known him a month or millennia. Magnus is the man that I love. You can either accept that or you can leave us alone. Like I told my own family the night I returned to tell them I found my soulmate, this is my decision and my life and Magnus is now a part of that.  Accept it or move on."

It might have been the most Magnus ever heard Alec say to anyone at one time and tears burned in his eyes as he thought over the kind words and passionate defense of their relationship.  More importantly, every one of his friends nodded and smiled, as if that was exactly what they were waiting to hear. "It's about time Magnus found someone who was actually worthy of him," Ragnor mumbled.  

Magnus' eyebrows jumped at that, surprised at the fond tone his best friend used when speaking about him.  Generally, all their interactions were filled with sarcasm and snark.

"Don't look so surprised, Bane.  You know we all love and care about you in our own way.  The last thing we want is to see you get hurt once more. And I think you finally have someone in your life who will protect your heart as fiercely as you do.  That is all we've ever wanted for you."

Surreptitiously wiping tears from his eyes, Magnus pressed his face against Alec’s shoulder, desperate to hide the emotions that had his heart warm and his mind racing.  He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve the family he had but when Alec kissed the top of his head and pulled him into an embrace, Magnus thanked whatever god was out there that he’d brought these people into his life.

Dinner passed in a flurry of conversation, laughs, and lots of sarcasm.  The highlight had to be the moment when Alec stared at Raphael for a minute before asking, “Has anyone ever told you that you have the sweetest face and the sourest personality?”

“You two are perfect for each other,” Raphael sighed as Magnus broke down in laughter.  

After dinner they sat around talking, Magnus telling them about their adventures while catching up on what he had missed in their lives.  Alec drifted off at some point, Madzie curled up in his lap and Magnus couldn’t help but think that his life was now perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter which I hope to have posted this weekend. And then, a whole new one-shot set in this verse is set to post on the day of the mid-season finale.


	7. Home Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's only one thing left to do before they return home.

For a week, Magnus lived in a dream world with his lover by his side, in the loft with his family in and out as they got to know Alec better and he got to know them.  It was amazing and Magnus didn’t know if he ever stopped smiling. 

He conjured a large saltwater pool on the rooftop terrace and Alec went there at least once a day to swim and relax.  Magnus often joined him but much of the time, he left it for Alec, knowing he missed the ocean far more than Magnus did.  It gave Alec some time to be alone and compose his thoughts while being in a world he still didn’t understand, while Magnus worked in his apothecary and read up on merfolk culture from the few texts he had.  They loved one another, had committed eternity to each other. They were allowed to have a little space now and then. (Plus, when they reunited, even if they’d only been separated for an hour, was usually explosive and passionate.  Magnus suggested spending a day apart just to see how good the sex was but neither of them was really willing to do that.)

One day, while Alec swam with Madzie (who was thrilled to learn her gills were just as good as Alec and Magnus’ for breathing underwater), Cat helped Magnus in his workroom.  “You’re happier,” she stated, not even bothering to form it as a question. “He’s good for you. I want to see you like this more often?”

“Like what?” Magnus asked, but he already knew the answer.  His soul sang whenever Alec was near him like it found a tuning fork set to the right pitch.  He could finally breathe now that he had Alec in his life and the irony wasn’t lost on him that the first time he felt like he took a deep breath was when he went underwater with his lover.

Cat smiled, placing the bottle she was labeling back on the shelf.  “Relaxed. Happy. Content. You look settled in your own skin in a way I haven’t seen in many years.  You deserve this, Magnus. You’ve spent so much of your life taking care of everyone else, I’m glad you finally have someone who is taking care of you.”  Her smile grew brighter, more teasing, “And he’s great with kids. You know, just in case.”

Laughing, Magnus shrugged, “Maybe someday, Catarina.  But we have a few things working against us when it comes to having a family.”  The fact that they were both male and the fact that warlocks were sterile both weighed heavily in the decision if they ever had kids or not.  If it never happened, if it was just Magnus and Alec and their extended family for the rest of time, it would still be okay because they would be together and they would be happy.

“Well, you are welcome to borrow Madzie anytime you want to practice for parenthood.  I trust you with her life and she obviously loves Alec to pieces. I can’t even get her to sit anywhere but on his lap whenever we come over here.”  She didn’t sound upset by that and Magnus thought, not for the first time, how well motherhood suited his dearest friend. “Besides, Dot and I could use a night off.  Ever tried raising a baby warlock? I found her in Paris two nights ago.”

“My niece has good taste.  You can’t fault her for that,” Magnus laughed.  “And you know the two of us probably did far worse.”  Though, Magnus wasn’t sure they did. He didn’t come into his magic as early as Madzie did and he knew Cat had lived a sheltered and protected life with her mother for her entire childhood.  Neither of them were exposed to any other warlocks until they were much older. They didn’t receive the nurturing and education Madzie did. Which probably led to her being a little more of a risk taker when it came to her magic.  

Cat laughed, “While, I’m not the one who taught her how to portal.  I think next time she goes jet-setting, her uncle who was the cause of all this should be the one to have to track her down.”

“Yes, Ragnor is a nightmare, isn’t he.”  Magnus winked at Cat and realized that she was right.  While he knew Alec made him a better person, he could now feel it deep inside, that restless, anxious, miserable part of him that he tried to ignore for so long had settled completely and he felt like a new man.  “Alec has been good for me, hasn’t he?” he asked, voice far smaller than usual.

Cat hugged him, “Very much.  You don’t know how worried we all were for you.  We never said anything to you or each other but it was clear that you were miserable for a long time.  He changed that. Even if he wasn’t a perfectly lovely man, we’d still be happy for him because he brought that smile back to your face.”

Madzie came running in a moment later, dripping wet in her swimsuit and hugging Magnus’ leg.  Anyone else he would have yelled at for ruining his clothes but Madzie could get away with anything as far as he was concerned.  He loved his niece more than almost anything in the world. “Hello, Sweetpea,” he smiled scooping her up into his arms. “Did you have a good swim with Uncle Alec?”  

She nodded and started talking a mile a minute, something about all the fish Alec knew and that he could fight a shark and win.  Magnus almost wondered if she loved his mate even more than he did. “Where is he? Alec still swimming?”

“No, he’s getting rid of his tail,” she explained as if it were the most normal thing in the world.  Though, Magnus figured that being raised with four warlocks and a vampire as her family, a merman wasn’t the strangest thing Madzie ever saw.  “He said to come in and get changed while he made himself decent. I don’t know what that means.”

If they were alone in the house, Magnus would be complaining that Alec needed to be anything but decent.  However, with his friend and niece there, maybe the love of his life walking around naked wasn’t the best idea in the world.  “It just means that when his tail goes away, he needs to put on clothes. Just like you need to put on clothes before you get too cold.”  Magnus set her down, trying to shoo her off to the room she had here in the loft. 

Madzie smirked and snapped her fingers, dressed now in a normal outfit, swimsuit banished who knew where.  “She learned that from you, Bane,” Dot laughed, standing in the doorway. “When you two used to put on those fashion shows for us?  Do you know how many outfits we have to go through in a day now? She changed them whenever she feels like it. We have a little fashionista for a daughter and her uncle is to blame.”

“Now that I will accept credit for.  If you were giving Ragnor and Raphael credit for her fashion sense, then she would walk around in stuffy suits and drab colors all day.”  Madzie deserved better than that, in his humble opinion, and it seemed she agreed. 

The three of them laughed and Madzie shrugged, giving up on figuring out what was so funny and running off to play on her own.  “So, Dot asked, when it was just the three of them, “when are you two getting married? And we will be able to come, right? This won’t be some underwater thing where we just hear about it after the fact, right?  I mean, I think we’ve put in enough time as your friends that you get to be at your wedding, right?”

“Yes, my friendship is indeed a hardship and you need the wedding as some big pay off for the pain and suffering you have endured on my behalf.”  Magnus made a face, causing both of his friends to laugh. 

Alec, however, stood in the door looking between the three of them.  “You should consider yourselves lucky to have Magnus as a friend. He’s the best man I’ve ever met and I know I am blessed for having him in my life.”  He stepped around both Dot and Cat to wrap his arms around Magnus’ waist. “I don’t understand why everyone acts like it is so hard to love him. He’s perfect.”

Magnus tried, in vain, to stop the tears from pooling in his eyes, and his two friends didn’t look much better.  He turned in Alec’s arms and pulled him in for a heated kiss. “You romantic, amazing man,” he murmured. “I don’t know how I got so lucky but you are the blessing in my life, not the other way around.”

They kissed for several minutes, not even noticing when Cat and Dot left them alone.  Magnus knew he would endure quite a bit of teasing when they finished but it was worth it so Alec knew just how much Magnus loved him, and how much he appreciated the love of his life standing up for him in such a manner.

“They shouldn’t talk about you like that,” Alec sighed when they broke apart.  Their foreheads rested together and Magnus smiled, looking into those beloved hazel eyes.  “You deserve their respect and their love, not mocking.”

Magnus chuckled, amazed at the fierceness with which Alec loved him.  “Darling, how is this any different than when Blondie and Isabelle tease you?”  Because Magnus didn’t see any difference. It was a thing between siblings, that fondness with which you love them and that annoyance than only they can cause.  

“Because Izzy and Jace are talking about me, so it is okay.  Cat and Dot were talking about you and that isn’t okay.” Alec’s fingers traced the line of Magnus’ cheekbone and his eyes fluttered closed, overwhelmed by the love Alec held for him.  No one ever saw him the way his mate did and Magnus could feel the tears burning in his eyes at the realization of just how real this all was. 

He kissed Alec, desperate and loving, not surprised when he tasted the salty warmth of his own tears streaming silently down his face.  “I love you, darling. I promise you don’t have to protect me from my siblings but the fact that you want to makes me love you all the more.”  Alec wiped away his tears, looking concerned but Magnus shook his head. “They’re happy tears, Alexander. Happiness that I found you and you found me and soon I will be able to call you my husband as well as my mate.”  

The knowledge that they could get married any time, that there was no need for anything legally binding since Alec didn’t technically exist according to the mundanes, spurred Magnus into action.  “Can we do a wedding ceremony this weekend? Would your family come on land to view it? Even if they don’t understand the significance, do you think they would be there.”

“I think  _ our _ family would be honored that you wanted to share some of your culture with them.  If nothing else, Simon could explain everything to them in more detail than they could have ever asked for.”  

“They’ll need to wear clothes,” Magnus pointed out.  If Madzie wasn’t going to be there, he wouldn’t care but he thought that might be pushing his luck with Cat and Dot.  It was something they could ease her into. 

Alec laughed, “I think that will be okay.  Magnus, you don’t need to worry. They love you and they love us together.  They’ll do whatever we ask if it means supporting our love and the bond that we are growing between us.” 

They kissed for several more minutes before Cat cleared her throat in the doorway, “Since you two are busy, I think we’re going to take off.  Call me later, Mags. And if you need any help with anything, let me know.” 

Magnus didn’t let go of Alec, simply turned to look at his best friend and nodded with a smile.  “Thank you, my dear Cat. Alec and I are going to start planning our wedding tonight. It will be this weekend but I’ll get all the details to you as soon as we have them figured out.”

“Alec, take care of him.  Magnus, take care of Alec.  You two have fun and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“You’re no fun,” Magnus laughed, ignoring the way she rolled her eyes and left to collect her wife and daughter to head home.  

Alec’s brow quirked and Magnus shook his head, “It’s a long-standing joke that I tend to do idiotic things that no one else would ever consider.  Like getting drunk and casting a spell to locate my soul mate. But look how well that turned out for me? So I don’t think that is a piece of advice I’m going to follow, no matter how sensible they think it must be.”

Brushing off Alec’s obvious concern over other stupid things Magnus must have done over the course of his life, Magnus led them to the living room where they sat and he explained to Alec the purpose of a wedding and the significance on the parts he wished to include.  The more he spoke, the more excited Alec appeared to be and by the time they fell into bed that night, everything was set and they just needed to get everyone to the right place at the right time. 

Then they could call one another  _ husband _ .

* * *

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?  I can stay and we can go get them together.”  Alec was clearly nervous at the idea of leaving Magnus for any period of time.  Since they found each on the island back on Valentine’s Day, they hadn’t been separated for more than a few hours at most.  Now, they were looking at almost a full day apart and Magnus was just as uneasy as Alec, despite how hard he was trying not to show it.  

He kissed his anxious lover, “I will be fine, Alexander.  I lived here for almost a hundred years before I met you. I can make it one day without you by my side, no matter how much I might want you to be there with me.”

"Be safe, okay?  And portal home if there is any problem.  And..." 

"I will be fine, Alexander.  Now, let me portal you there before you work yourself up and can't leave."  Not that Magnus wanted him to leave. He never wanted to be away from Alec but right now, someone needed to go get the other half of the family (Alec) and someone needed to stay behind to get everything they needed for the wedding (Magnus).  In less than twenty-four hours, they would be together for the ceremony and then they would never need to part again. That was the plan, anyway, and the one thing that would keep Magnus going until he saw his lover again. 

Alec nodded and taking Magnus' face in his hands kissed him.  "I love you. Please come home if you need to for any reason, okay?  I need you to promise me."

"I promise, Alexander.  I promise I will come home if I need your protection and I promise that tomorrow after Ragnor declares us husbands, I will never leave your side again if that is what you wanted."

Satisfied, Alec nodded.  "Okay. "Okay, I'm ready."  Whether he was trying to convince Magnus or himself, he didn't know but Magnus appreciated the effort nonetheless.  

"Be safe, my love, and I will see you in one day.  You know where to go."

"Of course, Magnus."

With a deep breath, Magnus opened the portal that would take the love of his life away from him for the night.  It amused him to think that they were unintentionally following a mundane tradition by doing this but it was only for ease of planning.  This way they could be in two places at once and the wedding could get done in half the time. 

Alec looked at Magnus once more over his shoulder before stepping through the portal back to the home they were making for themselves with Alec's family.  For better or worse, Magnus didn't have a lot of time to consider how much he was going to miss him because the moment Alec walked through the portal a ton of water came out on Magnus' side.  "Right," he muttered to himself, jumping on the couch to avoid getting wet and having to deal with his tail until he dried again. "No portalling underwater." Should have been self-explanatory but Magnus realized this was the first time they'd tried that since he joined Alec.  

With a snap of his fingers, he cleaned the mess, sending the water right back to the ocean and finally realized just how quiet his life was without Alec there beside him.  He didn't like it and as soon as they got to the island, Magnus intended to make sure he never had to be away from Alec again.

There wasn't a lot that needed to be done in order to prepare.  They were just going to stand on the very beach where they first met, and promise their immortal lives to one another.  Magnus didn't see the need for music or fancy clothes or presents. Marrying Alec was enough of a gift for him and Magnus wanted to be able to focus on that without everything else getting in the way. 

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Raphael asked when he and Ragnor joined him at the loft for some last minute planning.  "I've never known a time when you weren't willing to go all out for any party, no matter how big or small. I don't know if this is you growing up, this is you scared, or if this is something else entirely.  Do we need to stage an intervention?"

"I just want to marry him, Raphael.  I don't need anything else besides that.  In fact, I don't even need that, not really.  I know Alec loves me and I know that nothing will change that.  Vows included. But I want to make a grand gesture in front of everyone we know and that is what this wedding is going to be.  Me declaring my love for Alexander to everyone who matters to me in this world.” Magnus could wax poetic about Alec for hours, days, weeks.   _ Centuries _ .  He could talk about why he loves him (because to him, Alec is perfection) or what he wants to give him (everything).  

But he doesn’t think Raphael wants to hear all that.  His friend is just looking out for him and no matter how misguided his attempts might be, Magnus appreciated them nonetheless. “Rafe, I promise, I’m fine.  I just want to marry Alec, that is all. I don’t need anything else but him.”

The vampire stared at him and Magnus stared back, wondering what he was thinking.  While Magnus practically raised him after his change and he considered Raphael to be the son he’d always wanted, he still had trouble reading him when his expression was closed off like that.  He knew the moment Raphael had come to a conclusion because he gave one terse nod and stepped forward, embracing Magnus in a way he’d only done a handful of times over the nearly hundred years they’d known one another.  

“I’m glad you are happy, Magnus,” he said softly.  “I was beginning to wonder if you would ever find someone like the rest of us did.  And if it means you have to live in the ocean, then I suppose Ragnor and I will get used to moonlit walks on the beach to visit you when we can.”

“You know, my dear, most people would consider those romantic.”

Raphael laughed and rolled his eyes, “Maybe it is if moonlight isn’t your normal source of light.  Now, a sunlit walk on the beach, that could be romantic.”

“Minus the whole burning to death in a matter of seconds thing,” Magnus pointed out.  

“Yes, minus that.”

Giving Raphael one more hug, simply because he could, Magnus kissed his temple and stepped back.  “Now, my dear boy, you and Ragnor need to help me find something to wear. I know Alexander likes my normal clothes but I thought maybe something more traditional?  It is my wedding after all.”

He didn’t know what to expect but it wasn’t his two friends rolling their eyes at him and dragging him to the bedroom.  “Sit there and let us do this,” Ragnor commanded. “Obviously being in love has done something to your mind. You said it yourself, Alec likes what you normally wear so why would you change it just to fit some tradition that almost none of us have ever taken part in.  Alec is marrying you for you, so at your wedding,  _ be _ you.”

While Magnus missed Alec desperately and wanted so badly to just portal home and spend the night with him, having Raphael and Ragnor try to put together the most “Magnus” outfit they could find was almost enough entertainment to keep his mind off the distance between them.  He fell asleep that night with hope in his heart, but arms that ached from missing the man that he loved. 

The next morning, Magnus woke with the sun, something that had become a habit since living with Alec.  With no artificial lights underwater, their days were dictated by the rising and setting of the sun. It had been a huge adjustment and one he was still trying to accept since his mind balked every time they started moving just after the sun rose, but knowing that today was the day he would see Alec again, Magnus didn’t mind the earliness of the hour.  Only that it was his wedding day to the most wonderful man he’d ever known.

While the plan had been to portal everyone to the island together, Magnus couldn’t wait that much longer.  He sent messages to his friends, explaining that he would send them a beacon to portal to, and then made his way to their island.  Magnus didn’t know when Alec would arrive since they wouldn’t be saying their vows until after sunset so Raphael could attend, but just being here on this beach - arguably the most important place in their relationship - made him feel closer to Alec.  

His magic flowed through him as Magnus decorated the beach with fae lights that would cast the area in a warm glow and scattered the sand with fragrant flower petals that reminded Magnus of a home he’d left so long ago.  When done on the beach, he decorated the home where they would possibly spend their first night together as a married couple. Magnus didn’t know if Alec wanted to spend it on land or in the water, but in the end, it didn’t matter as long as they were together.  The previous night had been its own special brand of torture and Magnus didn’t want to experience it again. Ever.

The sun was almost set when Magnus returned to the beach, smiling when he saw a familiar figure lying there, soaking in the last rays of the sun.  “Hello, gorgeous,” he smiled, straddling Alec’s waist and bending to give him a gentle kiss. “I’ve missed you.” 

Alec pulled him close, deepening the kiss and holding tight to him.  “I missed you, too. Never again, Magnus. That was a terrible idea.”  Rolling them over, Alec pinned Magnus to the sand, his tail cool against Magnus’ legs.  

“And yet, here I am in one of my favorite positions,” Magnus smirked, running his hand through Alec’s wet hair.  “And as much as I would like to find some secluded cove and continue this, we have guests arriving soon so we should probably not look thoroughly fucked when they get here.”  

His soon-to-be husband’s pout was adorable and Magnus stretched up to kiss it off his lips before pushing him gently off.  “Now, dry off so I can give you your clothes. I have some for your whole family as well. I didn’t know what they’d like so I picked the most basic things possible.  I can change them if they have specific ideas once they get here.” As if on cue, Magnus saw the others and waved to them, even as he used his magic to dry Alec and bring his legs out.  

Alec scrambled to his feet and Magnus helped the others get dried as well.  It was strange to see them with legs and he wondered how often they used them considering how shaky most were.  Jace and Simon seemed to be the only ones who were stable almost immediately.  "I have clothes for all of you.  If you need me to change them, just let me know before we start, okay?"

The pod nodded and Magnus left them to get dressed and sent the beacon to both Ragnor and Cat, knowing they had more experience with his magic than Dot did.  They could latch onto it and make a portal, even if they’d never been here before. It was a trick he and Ragnor came up with after Ragnor expressed his concern that if Magnus were to go get himself in trouble at some remote part of the world, there would be nothing he could do to help him.  

The five of them appeared a moment later, Madzie practically tackling Magnus to the ground before running off to find Alec as well.  “Are you ready for this, Mag?” Dot asked, giving him a quick hug. “Can’t say I ever pictured you settling down, not entirely. I wanted you to be happy but for some reason, I didn’t think a wedding would be what you wanted.”

“I hadn’t found the right person yet.  Now I have. Simple as that.” Because while what he had with Alec was far from simple, it was also beautiful and easy, being with his lover was like breathing.  Alec was essential to Magnus’ life now and this ceremony was just a formality when they already knew they had forever. “Now, go take your places so I can make that beautiful man my husband already.”

They’d decided that the tokens they’d accepted from one another, Alec’s ring and Magnus’ necklace, would be their personal signs of their marriage.  Magnus spelled them so they would never degrade, even in the salt water, and they both removed them and handed them to Madzie and who served as their flower girl and ring bearer.  

Once everyone was there, Magnus snapped his fingers lighting the orbs that floated around them and illuminating the beach in a romantic glow.  Ragnor began to speak about love and the way it transcended time and space and even worlds to bring together two people who were meant to be, just as Magnus and Alec were.  “The two of them have chosen to say their own vows and when have I ever been able to stop Magnus from doing what he wanted.”

Magnus grinned at him then turned his attention to Alec, his smile becoming soft and private.  “My Alexander. I met you at a low point in my life. My friends were happily in love and I was alone, pretending to be okay but breaking on the inside.  I was so despondent, I cast a spell no warlock should really attempt. It could have ended so badly but I hurt too much to think of the consequences. And for once, the consequences were better than anything my imagination could have created. 

“You are the love of my life and within only a few minutes of meeting you, I knew there was no one else for me.  I love you, heart and soul, on land and in the water, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of time by your side. We will travel the world, we will be a family, and most importantly, we will be happy.  These are my promises to you, that I will do everything I can, every day, to make you the happiest man you can be. Because you already make me the happiest version of myself just by loving me the way you do.”  Magnus wiped a tear from his eye but smiled through it all. 

Alec brushed a stray tear from Magnus’ cheek and leaned in to kiss him softly.  “You already make me happy, Mags, just by being you.” Alec kissed him again until Ragnor cleared his throat and they broke apart with sheepish smiles.  

“Alec, your vows?” Ragnor prompted and Magnus took a deep breath to steady himself for the emotions which he knew were about to come.  

Smiling, Alec looked more beautiful than ever and Magnus gripped his lover’s hands.  “These kinds of things are not the way of my people. When you accepted my token, you accepted me as I am forever.  But, while this may not be a mer ceremony, I am happy for this moment because everyone deserves to know how happy you make me feel.

“When I met you, I was angry.  I was angry at the world for the fact that I was alone while everyone I knew had someone they loved.  I was angry at my father for leaving me to be the man of the pod before Luke arrived, at an age when I was supposed to be going out and finding a mate of my own.  I was angry that my soul mate, whoever he was, still wasn’t in my life. And when we met, I threatened to kill you, which might have been a sign of just how deep that anger went.”  

Magnus chuckled and nodded.  It was one of his happiest memories now, even if at the time, he’d wondered what exactly he’d done to deserve that.

“But then I got to know you and I realized just how badly I needed you in my life.  In many ways, you are my opposite, but in all the ways that matter, we work better than any couple I’ve ever met.  You complete me and you make me want to be the best version of myself that I can be. I love you, Magnus. You were going to give up everything to be with me and I don’t know how I could ever live up to that.  But I will try every day to be worthy of the love you have for me. I hope you know that the love I have for you grows more every day and I can’t wait to spend every day of forever by your side. As your husband, your mate, and your friend.  I love you.”

Nothing could have stopped Magnus from kissing Alec after that and they continued for several minutes until Madzie tugged on Magnus’ arm.  “Uncle Magnus, you have to give Uncle Alec his ring.” She held the ring up and Magnus took it from her, bending to press a kiss to the top of her head. 

“Thank you, sweet pea.  I almost forgot.” Without waiting for Ragnor to do the whole speech about the exchanging of rings, Magnus slid it onto Alec’s finger.  “My darling, with this ring, I promise myself to you from now until the end of time. You are my husband and my lover, the most important person in my life, and this ring represents the love I have for you: endless and eternal, love without end.”

Alec smiled down at the ring before turning to take the necklace from Max and slip it over Magnus’ head.  “Magnus, by accepting this token, you accept me as your mate and your partner from now until forever. I will be there for you through the good times and the bad, and like the ring you gave me, this necklace represents the love I have for you: endless and eternal, love without end.”

“By the power vested in me by absolutely no one,” Ragnor said, causing titters of laughter to go through the crowd, “I now pronounce you husbands.  Magnus, go ahead and kiss your man, even though you’ve been doing it throughout the ceremony anyway.”

Magnus pulled Alec flush against him and this kiss was deeper than the rest, passionate and strong, everything Magnus felt pouring into his lover just as Alec poured everything back into him.  They broke apart to find that almost everyone had moved away and their two families were starting to get to know one another. “So, I’m all for parties but what do you say we get out of here?” Magnus asked Alec with a sly smile pulling on his lips.  

“Yeah,” Alec nodded, grinning back at him.  “Should we tell them we’re leaving?” No one was looking in their direction and Magnus doubted they even realized the two men had stopped kissing.  

He shook his head, “They’ll figure it out.  I can apologize to them later if necessary. Right now, I just want to be with my husband.”

Alec nodded and Magnus opened a portal for them to disappear into, hand in hand.  The rest of the night was just for them. Magnus knew their families would understand that.  Or would at least accept it. 

Like he said, he could apologize later.  They had forever after all. Looking at Alec, stripping out of his clothes before diving into the water, he knew they both had far more important things on their minds. 

Each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is that. 
> 
> But not really because in just over a day, I'll be posting one more fic in this universe. 
> 
> Thank you for reading. I love you all.

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me on tumblr at [brooklynxmagic](http://brooklynxmagic.tumblr.com) or [astudyinfic](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com)


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